Iran’s Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea after passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a semi-official news agency in Iran reported on Monday.
This comes as Yemen’s Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea for weeks, justifying their actions as support for Palestinians in Gaza.
In its report, news agency Tasnim, did not specify the details of the Alborz’s mission but it said it has dispatched a destroyer to the Red Sea as part of the flotillas that take part in regular missions in international waters.
The Alborz destroyer crossed the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea on Monday, as Tasnim said.
The U.S. navy until now has not spoken officially about the reports of the Iranian vessel’s movements.
The Iranian Navy has set up three ocean commands supervising naval missions to the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
As it is reported by the news agency, in a meeting with a number of commanders and officials of Iran’s Navy in November 2022, the leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed the need for the navy to bolster and maintain its presence in international waters.
The leader also emphasized the need for the navy to “boost its combat capabilities and defense equipment and to continue navigation in remote and international waters.”
The warship’s deployment in the Red Sea comes amid the continued deterioration of the security situation in the region.
Houthis have used drones and missiles to target commercial ships – some of which aren’t believed to be linked to Israel – prompting the Arleigh-Burke Class destroyer USS Carney to respond to distress calls in the Red Sea.
Furthermore, the US established a multinational naval task force last month to safeguard shipping in the Red Sea. More than 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the operation, as the US Central Command (Centcom) claims.
On Sunday, US Navy helicopters sank three small boats and killed Houthi fighters that had attacked a Maersk container ship in the Red Sea, Centcom said in a statement.
