Iran has 'special responsibility' in ending Houthi attacks: NATO

GENEVA

NATO on Friday underlined that Iran has a "special responsibility" in ending Houthi attacks, calling the strikes conducted by the US and UK "defensive."

"Over the past few months, we have seen Houthi forces attempt dozens of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. These attacks are a direct threat to maritime security and to international commerce," spokesperson Dylan White said in a statement to Anadolu.

Noting that such attacks were already condemned by the UN Security Council, White said the international community "made clear that there would be consequences if these attacks did not end."

"These strikes were defensive, and designed to preserve freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways," he said regarding the strikes carried out by the US and UK late Thursday against a number of Houthi targets in Yemen, with support from Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and Bahrain.

"The Houthi attacks must end. Houthi forces are supported, supplied and equipped by Iran," he said and stressed: "So Tehran has a special responsibility to reign in its proxies."

The attack comes in response to ongoing drone and missile strikes by the Yemeni group, which is backed by Iran, on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea that began in November in response to Israel's war on Gaza.

The Red Sea is a critical waterway for international commerce, particularly for oil and fuel shipments, connecting the Suez Canal in Egypt with the Gulf of Aden via the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Houthis have carried out 27 attacks in the Red Sea since Nov. 19, according to the US military.