Iran denies helping Houthis attack Red Sea ships

The Houthis from Yemen have carried out more than 100 attacks by drones and missiles targeting merchant ships in the Red Sea.

On Friday, the White House publicly released U.S. intelligence that Iran provided drones, missiles and tactical intelligence to the Houthis.

But Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Mehr told the news agency, “The resistance (referring to the Houthis) has its own tools. It works according to its results and capabilities.”

He added: “Some international powers, such as the Americans and Israelis, who suffer from Houthi attacks, should not question the authority of the Houthis in the region.”

Iranian ship “helps the Houthis”

Bagheri's reports come as Western and regional security officials say Iranian officials continue to provide the Houthis with intelligence and weapons, including drones and missiles, which the Yemeni group uses to target ships in the Red Sea..

This comes in a new report from the Wall Street Journal, which says surveillance information collected by a monitoring ship in the Red Sea owned by Iranian military forces was handed over to the Houthis, who used it to attack merchant ships passing through Bab Al. -Mantab Strait in recent days..

Earlier this week, the Pentagon revealed plans to create a multinational naval force to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea..

At the same time, the world's largest shipping lines, oil producers and other traders began diverting ships from the region, driving up oil prices and insurance costs..