Since the October 7 attack by Hamas terrorists on Israeli settlements and Israel's strong attack on Gaza, Iran and its proxies have stepped up attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf. New reports indicate that an Israeli-affiliated merchant ship was hit by an aerial device in the Indian Ocean and set on fire. The Houthis, Iran's proxies in Yemen, have been active in targeting U.S. warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, something that U.S. says couldn't happen without Iran's technical assistance and intelligence.
Iran's latest ominous threat was from Iran's Revolutionary Guards' coordinating commander, who threatened to close the Mediterranean Sea if attacks on Hamas continue:
An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said the Mediterranean Sea could be closed if the United States and its allies continued to commit "crimes" in Gaza, Iranian media reported on Saturday, without explaining how that would happen. [snip]
'They shall soon await the closure of the Mediterranean Sea, (the Strait of) Gibraltar and other waterways,' Tasnim quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, coordinating commander of the Guards, as saying."
Such an action, no matter how farcical on its face, would bring nations in addition to the U.S. who rely on open seas in the Mediterranean into armed conflict with Iran. It may be more of a sign that Hamas is nearing defeat, and that Iran and its proxies are getting desperate to forestall it.
(photo: Houthi attack on a vessel in the Red Sea, November 20)
