Patrol vessel KN. Pulau Marore-322, owned by Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) patrols to inspect the Iranian-flagged Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), MT Arman 114, and the Cameroon-flagged MT S Tinos, as they were spotted conducting a ship-to-ship oil transfer without a permit, according to Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla), near Indonesia's North Natuna Sea, Indonesia, July 7, 2023 in this handout picture released July 11, 2023. Indonesia's Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) / Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
A planned multinational task force supported by the US to safeguard ships in the Red Sea will encounter “extraordinary problems,” according to a warning issued by Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, according to official Iranian media on Thursday.
Ashtiani’s remarks coincided with the announcement last week by the US that it was in discussions with other nations to form a task force in response to a wave of attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Houthis, who are supported by Iran in Yemen.
“They will face extraordinary problems if they make such an irrational move,” Ashtiani said in remarks that were reported on Thursday by the official Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA).
“Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance,” he said, referring to the Red Sea.
Ashtiani did not specify what measures Iran was prepared to take in response to the setting up of a US-backed Red Sea task force.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters last week that Washington was in talks with “other countries” over forming a “maritime task force … to ensure safe passage of ships in the Red Sea,” but did not give further details.
Yemen’s Houthis, which are aligned with Iran, have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict by attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.