Iran has deployed its Alborz warship to the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait during a time of mounting tensions in the region. Houthi militants, backed by Iran, have been attacking private companies and at least one American naval vessel, and a ten-nation coalition is arriving in the waterway to defend the extremely important global trade route.
The story was first reported by Iranian state news outlet Tasnim. “The Alborz destroyer entered the Red Sea … by passing through the Bab al-Mandeb,” it reported. The Bab al-Mandeb is located at the southern point of the Red Sea and connects it to the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean. Tasnim went on to say that Iran’s fleet has regularly patrolled the area since 2009 to “secure shipping lanes and repel pirates, among other purposes.”
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According to the leader of the Iranian Navy, Shahram Irani, the Alborz ship will be carrying out “missions” in the Red Sea. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Iran’s Defence Minister, had said on Dec. 14th that “nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance” in reference to the Sea.
This follows a threat made by Iran just days ago to close off the Mediterranean Sea and crash global trade in protest against Israel’s actions in their war against Hamas. “They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar, and other waterways,” said Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, according to Iranian state media outlet Tasnim. Naqdi is the coordinating commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a primary branch of Iran’s military.
Iran’s general Sayyed Razi Mousavi was just killed by an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria last week.
The International Chamber of Shipping says 12 percent of global trade moves through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. Many container companies have rerouted their scheduled shipping around the Cape of Good Hope at the Southern tip of Africa, a costly maneuver that significantly extends shipping times.
Watch Patrick Bet-David unpack the shipping crisis that is being caused by Houthis and other fighters in the Red Sea below, or read a text version of the video here.
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