Iran Threatens Mediterranean Sea Closure Over Gaza War as Vessels Face Attacks

Yemeni coastguard members loyal to the internationally-recognized government ride in a patrol boat in the Red Sea off of the government-held town of Mokha in the western Taiz province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, on Dec. 12, 2023. (Khaled Zia/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran has threatened to shut down the Mediterranean Sea shipping waterways because of what it describes as “crimes” committed by the United States and its allies in Gaza, as Tehran-backed Houthi terrorists continue to attack merchant vessels traveling through the region.

“They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, [the Strait of] Gibraltar and other waterways,” said Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a general with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, according to a Dec. 23 report from Iranian state media.

Iran does not have direct access to the Mediterranean. As such, it is unclear how the Islamic nation intends to close off the sea. Mr. Naqdi talked about “the birth of new powers of resistance and the closure of other waterways.”

Over the past month, the Iran-aligned Houthi terrorist group of Yemen has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on merchant vessels sailing through the Red Sea, actions which the group insists are in retaliation for Israel’s operations in Gaza.

On Dec. 23, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that two anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea.

“The M/V BLAAMANEN, a Norwegian-flagged, owned, and operated chemical/oil tanker, reported a near miss of a Houthi one-way attack drone,” CENTCOM announced on social media. “A second vessel, the M/V SAIBABA, a Gabon-owned, Indian-flagged crude oil tanker, reported that it was hit by a one-way attack drone ... These attacks represent the 14th and 15th attacks on commercial shipping by Houthi militants since Oct. 17.”

The USS Laboon, which is patrolling the Southern Red Sea, shot down four unmanned aerial drones that were targeting the ship, CENTCOM reported.

A chemical tanker operating in the Indian Ocean was also attacked by an Iranian drone on Dec. 23, a U.S. Department of Defense official stated. This is the seventh attack on commercial shipping by the country since 2021.

“The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker was struck at approximately 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” the official said in a statement to CNN.

Earlier on Dec. 22, White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson accused Iran of being “deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea,” according to a statement obtained by The Epoch Times.

“Iranian support throughout the Gaza crisis has enabled the Houthis to launch attacks against Israel and maritime targets, though Iran has often deferred operational decision-making authority to the Houthis.”

Red Sea Tensions

As tensions rise in the Red Sea region due to attacks on vessels by Iran and Houthis, many shipping firms are choosing to avoid the routes altogether, posing a challenge to global trade. The Suez Canal connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and is the shortest route between Europe and Asia.

However, several ships have now chosen to travel around the African continent to move goods between Europe and Asia, adding roughly 3,500 nautical miles to the trip, German broadcaster DW reported. The Suez Canal controls about 12 percent of shipping traffic worldwide.

Large shipping firms like MSC, Maersk, and Hapag-Lloyd are avoiding the Red Sea. BP recently stopped all shipments of oil and gas transported through this route.

The alteration of shipping routes adds excess costs to the transportation of goods. If the crisis continues for some time, customers could see the prices of imported goods jump.

“Take one round-trip voyage from Shanghai to Rotterdam, and you add a million dollars in fuel costs from rerouting via the Cape of Good Hope,” Peter Sand, chief analyst at the Copenhagen-based market analytics firm Xeneta, told DW. “So that alone is a huge bill.”

The attacks have also triggered a spike in insurance premiums, adding to the costs.

New Coalition

Houthi attacks on vessels have led to the formation of a global U.S.-led coalition of over 20 nations that aim to protect the Red Sea maritime traffic.

Dubbed “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” the coalition includes the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Canada, France, Spain, Bahrain, and Italy, among others.

“The nations that have agreed to publicly discuss their participation, we’ve put those out there,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said at a Dec. 21 press briefing. “We’ll allow other countries and defer to them to talk about their participation.”

The French frigate Languedoc is currently deployed in the Red Sea. Italy announced it would send naval frigate Virginio Fasan to the region to protect its national interests.

Spain said that it will only take part in European Union-coordinated responses or NATO-led missions in the Red Sea and not make any unilateral decision. Greece announced sending a naval frigate. The UK is deploying its destroyer HMS Diamond.

The Biden administration is also looking at Chinese interference on the issue. During a Dec. 19 press briefing, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that China could use its influence over Iran to deter the attacks.

“We have in the past and we continue to encourage the Chinese to use that influence, use those conversations to lean on the Supreme Leader and Iran to stop their support for the Houthis,” he said.

Iran is “certainly providing the means, the tools, the capabilities, the weapons through which the Houthis are conducting these attacks. The Houthis may be pulling the trigger, but, as I’ve said, Iran is giving them the guns.”

Adam Morrow and Reuters contributed to the report.