Iran Warns US over Red Sea Maritime Task Force Plan

 Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani downplayed US push to establish an international naval force in the Red Sea to protect merchant shipping, warning no one can maneuver in a region which Tehran dominates.

“There is no room in the region for outsiders to establish a presence and maneuver,” Brig. Gen. Ashtiani said Thursday.

The minister expressed confidence that the US would never carry out such a “foolish” act because it would cause tremendous problems.

“All countries are present in the region, but this region is ours, and we dominate it,” he stressed.

Tehran’s warning came after the Pentagon announced last week that it is ready to help set up a maritime task force to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea following a series of Yemeni strikes on ships, which were either Israeli-owned or heading toward the occupied Palestinian territories.

Yemen has declared its open support for Palestine’s struggle against Israel since the Zionist regime launched a devastating war on Gaza in early October 7. 

On Tuesday, Yemeni Armed Forces claim responsibility for a missile strike on a Norwegian-flagged tanker in the Red Sea as it was heading towards an Israeli port. Earlier, the Yemeni Army had targeted two Israeli ships in the Red Sea as they were attempting to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Yemeni soldiers have also launched missile and drone attacks on targets in the Israeli-occupied territories of Palestine since the start of the war.

Iranian officials have in recent weeks cautioned that the current status in West Asia resembled a powder keg which could spiral out of control. They warned that if diplomatic efforts to stop Israeli onslaught are unsuccessful, there is a risk of the conflict escalating uncontrollably, with multiple regional players joining the fight.