2024-01-13 21:00:45
The forces of the coalition for the protection of navigation in the Red Sea took the initiative against the Houthis, for the first time, in the attack they carried out yesterday (Friday) early morning. However, the expectation of this attack was so clear that about a week ago the Iranians managed to place another destroyer named “Alborz” in the Red Sea – next to the ship “Bushhar” which is already stationed there.
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This move may show that, contrary to Iran’s position at the beginning of the series of incidents in the Red Sea, they are no longer really trying to distance themselves from the maritime front – not even image-wise. While Alborz was passing through Bab al-Mandab, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdellihan hosted the Houthi spokesman and senior negotiator, Mohammad Abdel Salam. “I thank the Houthis for their strong and authoritative stance on the side of the Palestinian people,” he said. Abdellihan. Abdel Salam replied to him: “We thank Iran for its continuous political support for the resistance front.”
“The regime in Iran sent the Alborz destroyer to tell the Houthis that they are not alone,” Dr. Meir Javdenfer, a lecturer on Iran at the Lauder School of Government and a research fellow at the Reichman University Institute for Counter-Terrorism Policy (ICT), tells Globes. “Iran does not leave her allies alone. The Khamenei regime knows that Biden does not want a direct war, so for them there is not much chance that the Americans will fire on their destroyer. Nor are they going to start a battle with the Americans and ships from other countries.”
Defense of Hodeidah – the Houthi base of activity
While in the West it is believed that sending the destroyer to the Red Sea was intended to heighten US President Joe Biden’s fears of entering into an all-out war in the Middle East in an election year, in Tehran they justify Alborz’s unusual crossing into the Red Sea by saying that “Iranian warships are operating in the high seas to protect On the shipping lines, fight against pirates and other tasks.”
It is not impossible that Alborz’s focus, in the event of a Western attack against the Houthis, will be first and foremost to defend the strategic port city, Hodeidah, which was one of the four targets of the coalition attacks. This, along with Taiz, Sana’a and Zeda. Hodeida was captured by the Houthis in the civil war, and has since become a symbol. During the war they came close to losing it to the UAE and its partners, the Southern Transitional Council, but a ceasefire forced them to withdraw.
Hodeidah is the base of activity of the Houthi naval forces. If it is humanly damaged, even without being captured – the Houthis will mostly give up with the threat of missiles and drones against ships. And in the Red Sea, the difference between the danger of being hit by missiles and aircraft and the danger of hijacking is essential.
“The Iranians are worried that the international coalition against the Houthis could harm their ability. More than anything, a coalition against Iran’s allies today in Yemen could set the precedent for other Iranian militias in the Middle East tomorrow,” says Dr. Jabadanfar.
The Iranian force: 55 thousand volunteers and 38 thousand soldiers
Iran has two different naval forces: the Iranian navy, which is associated with the Iranian army, and the Revolutionary Guards navy, which operates under the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, who last Thursday hijacked the oil tanker “St. Nicholas” near the Strait of Hormuz.
Each of these forces has different responsibilities. Iran’s navy relies on the Caspian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, i.e. the open sea. While the Revolutionary Guards’ navy is responsible for controlling the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 30% of the world’s oil trade passes. Therefore, every significant entry of American naval forces into the Gulf is accompanied by Iranian provocations.
In an attempt to expand the ranks, the Revolutionary Guards recently established the Naval Basij, a volunteer guard that will include, according to Tehran, about 55,000 men on about 33,000 vessels. “Local sailors will be allowed to carry out missions on boats armed with missiles,” said the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ fleet, Alireza Tangsiri. “The maritime basij will also include large ships that can sail as far as Tanzania.”
Despite the differentiation between the Iranian navies “on paper”, the goal of both is to help advance the interests of the regime. This is why Tehran finances the salaries of 18,000 soldiers in the Iranian navy and about 20,000 more in the Revolutionary Guards’ fleet.
Means of the Iranian Navy: merchant ships used for espionage
The means of the Iranian fleets are adapted to their tasks, with the main naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards being based on fast boats for the ongoing security in the Persian Gulf.
Alongside this, the Iranian Navy operates three attack submarines, and about 15 midget submarines, destroyers and landing craft. The one who apparently helps the Iranian shipyards with the know-how in building the ships is North Korea.
The Revolutionary Guards also operate an array of seemingly innocent merchant ships, inside of which they are intelligence gathering ships for all intents and purposes. The use of these merchant ships can be seen in the hijacking of the “Galaxy Leader” ship owned by Rami Unger’s Ray company. On the morning of November 19, the ship passed by the Beshad spy ship, and at 13:05 the Houthis took control of it. The presence of the Iranian naval intelligence system is not new. Another ship in the formation, Sabiz, which is defined as a general cargo ship, was attacked off the coast of Eritrea in 2018. According to foreign publications, the operation was carried out by Israel.
“It is more difficult for Iran to buy advanced ships because of the sanctions,” explains Dr. Javadanfar, who points out that the Ayatollah’s regime attaches even greater importance to the ground forces. The revolution is to protect the regime against enemies from outside and inside.”
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