On Thursday, Iran denied reports of “negotiations between Iranian and American officials to pressure the Houthis to stop the Red Sea attacks.”

The Iranian news agency “IRNA” quoted a source it described as informed, saying that “no messages were exchanged regarding developments in the Red Sea.”

She added: The exchange of messages and indirect dialogue was limited to talks with the sole aim of lifting sanctions.

On Wednesday, the British newspaper, the Financial Times, said that the United States held secret talks with Iran to stop Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait due to the brutal Israeli attack on Gaza. They said they were targeting ships linked to Israel.

In response, since January 11, the United States and Britain have launched a campaign of air strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi militants. As a result, the Houthis announced the expansion of their operations to include American and British ships.