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Iran-backed Yemen Houthis Rebels threaten new attacks on ships passing through area Red Sea Corridor, may seek to support Iran as Iran fears U.S. aircraft carrier approach on Monday after President Donald Trump Threatening military action over its crackdown on nationwide protests.
A short Houthi video included a previously released image of a burning ship, with the caption: “Soon.” The rebels did not elaborate, but their operations in the Red Sea resulted in more than 100 ships being attacked as part of what the Houthis say is a pressure campaign Israel Its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis stopped firing after a cease-fire in the conflict, but they have repeatedly warned they could resume fire if needed.
The Houthi threat comes as the USS Abraham Lincoln and other guided-missile destroyers move toward the area. Trump said the ships were being moved “just in case” he decided to take action against Iran. Trump has drawn two red lines for attacks – the killing of peaceful protesters and the mass executions of people arrested by Tehran in a massive crackdown on demonstrations.
Iran renews threats, restricts small flights
Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Reza Talenik on Monday once again warned Israel and the United States about any possible attack, saying it would “receive a more painful and decisive response than in the past.” Iranian state television quoted Talei-Nik as saying that threats from both countries require Iran to “maintain full and comprehensive preparations.”
Iran displayed a threatening new banner over the weekend in Enkhrab Square, showing an aircraft carrier covered in bodies and blood on the Lincoln, and warning: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.” However, Iran is still deeply affected by the 12-day war launched by Israel in June, which resulted in the widespread destruction of its air defenses, the killing of senior military leaders and the bombing of its nuclear enrichment facilities by the United States.
Iran issued a notice to pilots on Sunday banning small private planes from flying in the country, except for oil industry and emergency medical flights, citing concerns over its airspace.
Many Western airlines have begun avoiding Iranian airspace entirely due to tensions, but Gulf Arab airlines flying to Moscow still rely on the route. In 2020, Iranian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian commercial airliner, killing 176 people on board.
Death toll rises as protest crackdown
The protests in Iran began on December 28, triggered by the devaluation of the Iranian currency, the rial, and quickly spread across the country. They have been met with a violent crackdown by Iran’s theocracy, the scale of which is only beginning to become apparent as the country faces more than two weeks of an internet blackout – the most comprehensive in the country’s history.
The American Human Rights Activists News Agency put the death toll at 5,848 on Sunday, with the death toll expected to rise. More than 41,280 people are said to have been arrested.
The group has provided accurate numbers from previous riots and relied on a network of Iranian activists to verify the death toll. The death toll exceeds that of any other round of protests or riots in the region in decades, recalling the chaos surrounding Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution. The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the death toll.
The Iranian government puts the death toll at a much lower 3,117, saying 2,427 of them were civilians and security forces, and calling the remainder “terrorists.” In the past, Iran’s theocratic regime has underestimated or failed to report the death toll from unrest.