Iran has dispatched a destroyer and another naval ship to waters off Yemen, ratcheting up tension amid a Saudi-led air campaign targeting Houthi rebels fighting forces loyal to the country’s embattled president.
The Iranian act of provocation comes as the US deepens its support for the Saudi-led coalition, boosting weapons supplies and intelligence-sharing and carrying out the first US aerial refueling mission of coalition fighter jets.
The Iranian warships were sent to the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait under the pretext of an anti-piracy campaign.
Securing navigation in the narrow strait was a key reason for the Saudi-led air and maritime blockade that began after Yemen’s internationally recognized president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, fled the country two weeks ago as the rebels closed in on Aden, Yemen’s second-largest city where he was based.
The fighting has pitted forces loyal to Hadi against the Houthi rebels and allied military units who back ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Critics say Shi’ite powerhouse Iran backs the Houthis, although both the Islamic Republic and the rebels deny any direct military assistance.
On Wednesday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani condemned the Saudi government, accusing it of committing crimes against humanity in Yemen during airstrikes that hit civilian areas.
His comments came as Iranian diplomats worked to erode support among Sunni countries for the air campaign, visiting Pakistan and Turkey, both supporters of the Saudi-led coalition, and Oman, the only Gulf country that has abstained from participating in the military operation.
Pakistan’s parliament is debating a Saudi request to send soldiers to join the Saudi-led coalition.
Speaking in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken blamed the violence in Yemen on the Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh, saying the US was committed to defending Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the first boats carrying medical aid to Yemen since the March 26 start of the Saudi-led bombing campaign arrived in the southern port city of Aden on Wednesday.
The head of Doctors Without Borders in Yemen, Marie-Elisabeth Ingres, said the ship carried about 2.5 tons of supplies from Djibouti for its hospital in Aden.