Iran's Foreign Minister Says the Houthis Will Continue to Take Action Against Ships Linked to Israel As Long as There is a Genocide in Gaza

JAKARTA - The United States (US) cannot ask (parties in the Middle East) to exercise restraint when supporting Israel's war in Gaza, Iran's Foreign Minister said on Monday, while calling for a diplomatic solution to the war in the region.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a televised news conference with his Indian colleagues in Tehran, called on Washington officials "not to link US security and national interests to the fate of Israel's fallen prime minister".

Tehran is known to support the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its war with Israel, accusing the United States of supporting what it calls Israel's crimes in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian said the Iran-allied Houthi militia would continue their attacks in the Red Sea "as long as the genocide in the Gaza war continues".

"Senior officials in Yemen's Sanaa (Houthi leader) told us, as long as the genocide in the Gaza war continues, they will take action to prevent the movement of Israeli ships or vessels towards Tel Aviv," he said, as reported by Reuters, January 16.

However, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian added that the Houthis had assured Tehran that "they will not compromise maritime security".

Previously, US President Joe Biden on Friday last week called the Houthi forces in Yemen a "terrorist" group, after American and British warplanes, warships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes against Yemen.

In response to the attack, the Houthi militia group threatened to provide a "strong and effective response".