Drone attack on merchant ship in the Arabian Sea, the British Maritime Operations Office announced that it had successfully extinguished the fire, and there were no people on board**. The Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned and Dutch-operated merchant ship was attacked en route from Saudi Arabia to India. There are a total of 21 crew members on board, including 20 Indian crew members and 1 Vietnamese crew member. The Indian Coast Guard has sent ships to the area of the incident and requested assistance from nearby vessels.
Although no country or organization has yet been held responsible for the attack, according to the Pentagon, the attack may have come from a drone launched from the territory of Iran. Iran has yet to respond to this accusation. Earlier, Iranian officials had warned that the Mediterranean could be closed if the United States and its allies continue to act in Gaza. At the same time, the U.S. military command claimed that Yemen's Houthi-controlled zone had fired two ballistic missiles into an international shipping lane south of the Red Sea, but no damage was caused.
In addition, Iran's deputy foreign minister denied the accusations of the United States** that Iran assisted the Houthis in attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. Iran has supported Houthi attacks on merchant ships, and US intelligence shows that Houthi spokespeople claimed that they were able to attack ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait with precision even without Iran's help, according to Al Jazeera. "We don't need to rely on Iran to carry out attacks, we can precisely target ships sailing in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait," they stressed. ”。
Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Commission, told CNN that newly declassified intelligence showed Iran was deeply involved in the operation against merchant ships in the Red Sea. "Iran's support throughout the Gaza crisis has enabled the Houthis to carry out attacks on Israeli and maritime targets, even though Iran often transfers operational decision-making to the Houthis," she said. "Iran can choose whether or not to provide support, and without such support, it will be difficult for the Houthis to effectively track and strike merchant ships crossing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden shipping lanes," Watson added.
She also said that Iran has provided the Houthis with surveillance systems that can support maritime activities. "Since the Houthis began their attacks in November, the tactical intelligence provided by Iran has been critical for the Houthis to target ships at sea," Watson said. ”。By all indications, the Houthis do not appear to be capable of attacking merchant ships in the Indian Ocean, and the area is too far from Yemen. On the contrary, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps seems to have something to do with it, having successfully organized a number of attacks or hijackings of merchant ships in the Persian Gulf, especially near the Strait of Hormuz.
As the ** people in Iran, it is likely that the Houthis have received "technical guidance" or even direct support from Iran. The Pentagon revealed information placed the blame for the attack on Saudi Arabia and India, not Israel. Public reports indicate that the U.S.-organized Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea is in trouble, with France, Italy, and Spain all announcing their withdrawal from the operation's chain of command, despite the participation of as many as 20 countries, both public and unpublic.
The three countries will only conduct further maritime operations under the command of NATO, the European Union or other countries, not the United States. Australia rejected the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian and did not send ** to protect the Red Sea international shipping lanes. Australian Defense Minister Marles said the country's strategic focus must be on the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, the war between Israel and Hamas continues, while countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan have actually supported Israel and even sent fresh food to Israel by land.
Some countries or organizations have expressed strong dissatisfaction with this, conniving at and even supporting the Houthi blocking of the Red Sea shipping lanes while secretly sabotaging the energy deal between Saudi Arabia and India. Many people know that direct action has not yet been taken because the conditions are not yet ripe. They are on the opposite side of the world for any organization that threatens global energy** and economic stability.