Iranian support for the Houthis during their attacks in the Red Sea was decisive. This was confirmed by a senior American security official.

Admiral Brad Cooper, Deputy Commander of US Central Command, stressed that Iranian support was crucial for the Houthis during their bombing of commercial ships in the Red Sea.

He also explained that “Iranian Revolutionary Guard members are present inside Yemen, working side by side with the Houthis, and providing them with advice and comprehensive information about the targets,” as he put it.

He said in an interview with CBS that this Iranian support is not new, but goes back a decade, as Tehran has provided supplies to the Houthi group for years.

In addition, he added: “They are resupplying while we are now sitting here at sea watching.” He repeated, saying: “We know that the Iranians are providing them with advice, and the information is quite clear.”

Many questions have recently arisen about the role of the Iranian ship Shahad in providing the Houthis with intelligence information in order to attack ships at sea, before they retreat towards Djibouti.

It is noteworthy that since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip on the 7th of last October, the Houthis have attacked at least 45 ships with missiles and explosive drones.

The American forces themselves also faced direct attacks many times, some of which hit their ships, according to what the Pentagon previously confirmed.

These Houthi attacks disrupted global shipping traffic and raised fears of global inflation. Several companies were forced to stop their flights through the Red Sea and prefer a longer and more expensive route around Africa.

It also exacerbated fears that the repercussions of the war between Israel and Hamas, which has been ongoing for 4 months, would destabilize the Middle East and expand the conflict.

On the other hand, American and British warplanes carried out retaliatory strikes in various areas of Yemen.