Iran supports Hamas but denies involvement in October 7 attack (representative)
Tehran, Iran:
Iran on Sunday condemned the latest attacks by the United States and Britain on Yemen, saying they were trying to “increase tensions and crises in the region.”
U.S. and British forces carried out new strikes on 18 Houthi rebel targets in Yemen on Saturday in response to a wave of attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed group.
“Through such attacks, the United States and Britain seek to escalate tensions and crises in the region and expand the scope of war and instability,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.
“Of course, such arbitrary and aggressive military actions will not bring any benefits to these aggressor countries except exacerbating insecurity and instability in the region,” Kanani added.
He further condemned the United States and Britain for failing to “take immediate and effective action” to stop Israel’s deadly actions in Gaza.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping around the Red Sea are in support of Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip.
Israel’s military operation in Gaza began after the Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Iran supports Hamas but denies involvement in the Oct. 7 attack.
Regional tensions have increased since the war began, triggering violence by Iranian-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
After Saturday’s attack, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the United States “will not hesitate to act as needed to defend the free flow of life and commerce in one of the world’s most important waterways.”
Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarri said the attacks would continue until “the aggression ceases” in Gaza.
The Islamic Republic has previously said it feels it has a “responsibility” to support so-called “resistance groups” in the region, but insisted they are “independent” in their decision-making and actions.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
