British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the escalation in attacks by Iranian-backed groups was unacceptable.
The United States says it has shot down four drones fired by Yemen’s Houthis, after Britain’s top diplomat accused rebel ally Iran of being a “bad influence.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday that the missile destroyer USS Laboon shot down an unmanned aircraft that was heading toward the ship, but there were no injuries or damage.
The USS Laboon also responded to distress calls from a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker and an Indian-flagged crude oil tanker that had been attacked.
“These attacks are the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since October 17,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.
The Houthis also fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles into international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea, but no ships were hit, Centcom said.
Separately, the Pentagon said early Saturday morning that a drone launched from Iran attacked a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean.
No casualties were reported.
Britain’s Maritime Trade Service earlier announced that a drone had exploded near a ship in the Bab el-Mandab Strait off the coast of Yemen.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have escalated drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the war in Gaza, which the rebels have blamed on Palestinians facing Israeli shelling. It is characterized as an expression of support for.
The United States on Tuesday launched a multinational security force, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, to protect shipping amid escalating attacks on the waterway, one of the world’s busiest trade routes.
The attack came as British Foreign Secretary David Cameron accused Iran of supporting the Houthis and other militant groups.
In an interview published in the Sunday Telegraph, Prime Minister David Cameron said the Iranian government was having a “completely negative impact on the region and the world”.
“You have the Houthis, you have Hezbollah, you have Iran-backed militias in Iraq that are actually attacking British and American military bases and troops. And of course you have Hamas,” the former Briton said. the prime minister said.
“You have all these proxies, but first of all, I think it’s very important that Iran gets an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated.”
Cameron’s comments follow claims by the US White House that Iran is “deeply involved” in attacks by Houthi militants on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The Iranian government acknowledges that it supports the Houthis politically, but denies arming them.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri on Saturday dismissed accusations that the Iranian government is providing arms and intelligence to the Houthis, saying the rebels have “their own means” and “have their own decisions and capabilities.” He said he was acting in accordance with the guidelines.
