On January 1, the Iranian warship Alborz entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This move took place in the context of the unstable situation in the Red Sea with attacks by the Houthi movement in Yemen on ships passing through this sea.
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| Iran's Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. (Source: PressTV.ir) |
On December 30 and 31, 2023, the Houthis used small boats and missiles to attack the container ship of the Israeli shipping company Maersk, forcing the company to suspend all operations through the Red Sea for 48 hours. The Alborz is an Alvand-class destroyer of the Iranian Navy's 34th fleet that has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait since 2015.
Earlier, on December 14, in a statement referring to the Red Sea, Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani affirmed: "No one can operate in the area where we have the upper hand."
Meanwhile, Tasnim news agency said Iranian warships have been operating in open waters to secure shipping routes, fight piracy and carry out other missions since 2009.
Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have targeted ships in the Red Sea since November to show their support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war with Israel.
In response, many major shipping companies have switched to the longer and more expensive route around Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead of going through the Suez Canal, which handles about 12% of global trade.
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