Iran denies helping Houthis plan attacks on Israel-linked ships

Iran denied on Saturday that it was engaged in preparing assaults on commercial ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthi militia, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency.

The repeated denial came after the White House stated Tehran was “deeply involved” in organising the operations and its information was essential in allowing the Houthis to target ships.

“The resistance (Houthis) has its own tools of power and acts according to its decisions and capabilities,” Bagheri Kani told Mehr.

Iran backs the Houthis but officially denies supplying them. The Houthis took Yemen’s capital Sanaa after overthrowing the government and currently control significant areas of the nation.

The Houthis, who claim to be targeting Israeli-linked ships in support of Palestinians under Israeli blockade in Gaza, have used drones and missiles to target commercial shipping in the Red Sea, forcing merchants to change course and take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.