Will Iran manage to dodge ripple effects of Red Sea tensions?
The Islamic Republic has condemned the Western coalition strikes targeting its favored Houthi rebels in Yemen, yet it appears to have no appetite for an escalation that could threaten its very survival.
The Iranian government slammed the United States and the UK after the two pounded military installations run by Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to the group's attacks on international navigation in the Red Sea.
In an official statement hours into the Thursday precision strikes that targeted Houthi radars and weapons storage areas, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said the attacks "violated Yemeni sovereignty and territorial integrity and had breached international laws."
Over the past few weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have been capturing or striking commercial vessels in the Red Sea, a strategic maritime route responsible for 10% of global trade and of vital importance to the European economy in particular. The group claims it has targeted only Israeli or Israel-bound vessels in retaliation for the Jewish state's war on the Gaza Strip.
The Iranian spokesman argued that the allied strikes were meant to distract "global attention from the Israeli crimes in Gaza" and urged the international community to intervene with "responsible action" to prevent the conflict from spilling over in the region.
