Has the West helped turn the seas into a blackmail tool to impose Iranian influence?!
In June 2018, Yemeni government forces, with the support of the Arab coalition, were about four kilometers from the port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast, controlled by the Houthi militia, which took control of the capital Sanaa in September 2014 .
The process of liberating the coastal city and its vital port clashed with intense Western pressure exerted by the United States of America and Great Britain, at the time under humanitarian pretexts, which allowed the Houthis to strengthen their capabilities and own control, with disastrous results in the following years.
In what appears to be an application of the Arab proverb “you sow what you reap,” Hodeidah Governorate and its vital port have now become a major base for attacking Western commercial ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in an operation that confused international shipping companies.
The general coordinator of the Revolutionary Guard units, Muhammad Reza Naghdi, had said that the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar and other waterways could be closed if the United States and its allies continue to commit “crimes” in Gaza, without explain why this would happen.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also described Iran as “a totally malign influence in the region and in the world (…) There is no doubt about that”. He added in press statements: “There are the Houthis, Hezbollah and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq attacking British and American bases and forces. And of course (Hamas) too.”
An Iranian warship equipped with drones in the Indian Ocean, July 2022 (AFP)
Since the Gaza war broke out on October 7, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 missile and drone attacks on commercial ships and oil tankers in the Red Sea and other targets, claiming to support the Gaza Strip.
However, officials and analysts who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Houthi group’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea have nothing to do with the events in Gaza, as the group has targeted several ships and oil tankers years before the Gaza conflict, who refutes these accusations and claims that they are simply slogans to mislead his followers at home into not discovering that he is simply a pawn of Iranian influence.
Turning the seas into an instrument of Iranian blackmail
Dr. Najib Ghallab, undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information, confirms that the geostrategic conflict between the most influential countries, in addition to the ambiguity of American objectives, weakens the international community in the face of the dangers imposed by Iran through the Houthis in the Sea Red.
Ghallab stressed in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that “the maritime coalition formed by the United States (the Guardian of Prosperity) is incapable of deterrence and has tied its work to protection, not to multiple effective pressures and a package of measures practices to address the Houthi threat”.
He added: “Iran has exploited the tragedy in Gaza to impose its influence on the Red Sea, and the Houthis have practically become the most important pillar of its national security in the conflict with the United States and the international and regional community This deficit will have serious repercussions on the security of the maritime arc that extends from Kuwait to the Suez Canal, and the seas will become the most important.” “The instruments of pressure used by Iran and other terrorist movements and others to blackmail the international community”.
For his part, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Saqr, head of the Gulf Research Center, emphasizes that there are complications in addressing the problem of the threat to international freedom of navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, and says that he refutes by saying: “The Houthi group does not represent a recognized government or state that can generate pressure.” And the state behind these violations is Iran, which controls the strategic decision of the Houthi group and provides weapons and logistical support to the group. , but denies the existence of any relationship with the Houthis’ decision and disavows responsibility for it.
Bin Saqr believes in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that “the international deterrence factor has failed to prevent the Houthi group from committing violations and threatening international shipping, and there are limited options for the international community to coerce the Houthi group to stop threats and attacks.” , which resorts to the means of military force not only defensively, that is, facing Houthi attacks and trying to repel or counter them, but rather it is necessary to go to the sources of the threat within the areas under Houthi control and deal with the launchers of missiles and marches, as well as naval command and control centers, and destroy them with proactive and preventive action to prevent these attacks”.
Western errors and weak arguments
Dr. Najib Ghallab believes that the mistakes made by American Democratic administrations from the Obama era until today, in coddling the Houthis, legitimizing their existence and pressuring them to ease pressure and weaken them, are “the reason main focus of what is happening today in the southern Red Sea.”
Ghallab highlights here “the decisive position and intense pressure of the Americans and Britain in liberating the Yemeni coast and even strengthening the Houthis with the Stockholm Agreement, which led to the Houthis being employed by Iran in every crisis , which means that Houthi piracy in light conditions of the current deficit will be a heavy stick that is present and used, and that’s all.” The message that Iran has conveyed to the international community.”
The undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information warns that if events develop and an armed conflict breaks out, “Yemen will be seriously affected and the tragedy will reach its peak (…) The errors accumulated by America in the Yemeni dossier have had an important role and they continue and are incapable of adopting effective measures and pressure on Al-Houthi”.
In turn, the head of the Gulf Research Center, Abdulaziz bin Saqr, believes that “the West is now reaping what it has sown” and said: “The Western position is what provided protection to the Houthi group to impose its control over the coasts of Yemen, in particular the port of Hodeidah and the region of the Bab al-Mandab Strait”.
He continued: “The Western position was also what prevented coalition forces from imposing their imminent and certain control over the port of Hodeidah, and Western countries, especially Britain and the United States, went so far as to threaten to address the UN “Western efforts to protect and ensure the Houthi group’s continued control over the coasts of Yemen under false reasons and pretexts.”
Dr. Abdul Aziz today criticizes the Western position after the Houthi threat has reached the point of threatening their interests and their ally Israel, as they demand that Arab countries help them deal with this threat, which was essentially created by their policy .
He added: “The Saudi and Gulf position rejecting the Houthi behavior is in no way aimed at protecting Israel or its continued aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza. It should be remembered that the Houthi group’s threats and attacks to freedom of navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea preceded the Gaza crisis by years and the ships were victims of it”. do not prejudice their interests or the interests of Israel.
An American destroyer responds to calls from merchant ships in the Red Sea (AFP)
The containment policy is a failure
Dr Ghallab believes that leaving the issue to containment will worsen the disaster, and this policy would turn into a source of strength and growth of terrorism and piracy and a tool for many parties in the Red Sea and elsewhere, stressing that “those who follow Iranian threats will note that they seek to carry out piracy and terrorism operations in the seas surrounding the Arabs, which contain the interests of the world, not to mention that weakness and helplessness encourage terrorists and others to threaten the security of the state navigation”.
The undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Information offers some solutions to address the Houthi threat, including “the adoption of integrated and urgent policies with a package of measures that support legitimacy and target the sources of Houthi power, classifying the Houthis as a terrorist group and prosecute its activities, leaders and networks, which is enough to make liberating the West Coast a must-have option.”
Dr. Abdul Aziz bin Saqr emphasizes that “the end of the Houthi group’s control over the entire territory of Yemen is the ideal solution.” He said: “The Houthi group is an ideological and sectarian extremist armed militia, and part of Iran’s regional and international strategy. This group will always be employed, as is the case with other branches of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, to disturb and destabilize regional security and stability whenever political interests and needs arise.” “Iranian.”
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea directly hit the Suez Canal (Archive – Reuters)
The head of the Gulf Research Center said that “addressing the current Houthi threats to international freedom of navigation will not represent the end of the matter, and is only a temporary solution that may not last long.” Stressing that “the Houthi group’s continued control over Yemen is the real and continuing threat, which will produce other forms of dangers and threats to regional security and stability.”
He continued: “If there is an immediate need to remove the port of Hodeidah from Houthi control to ensure the safety of international navigation, then Western countries that possess military capabilities must carry out this task and atone for their previous mistakes in providing protection to the Houthis”. Houthi group”.
2023-12-27 12:45:00
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