Yemen’s Houthis target cargo ship bound for Iran, shipping analysts say

Reuters

Yemen’s Houthis target cargo ship bound for Iran, shipping analysts say

Reuters-Feb12th2024

Houthis have been attacking Red Sea shipping
They say the attacks are in solidarity with Hamas
Some companies have halted Red Sea journeys

DUBAI/LONDON, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have targeted a cargo ship in the Red Sea which shipping analysts said on Monday had been carrying corn to Iran.

It appeared to be the first time the Houthis have targeted an Iran-bound vessel since starting attacks on international shipping in solidarity with Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, shipping sources said.

A U.S. defence official said it was likely that the ship had been targeted but not hit, but provided no further comment. Earlier reports by maritime specialists suggested the vessel may have been damaged but that there were no casualties.

The Houthis identified the vessel as the Star Iris. The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised statement the ship was American but maritime-shipping trackers said the Marshall Islands-flagged ship was Greek-owned.

The Star Iris had been transporting a corn cargo from Brazil to Iran, according to ship tracking analysis from data and analytics group Kpler.

“The Star Iris, like every Iran-bound bulker, had not diverted away from the Red Sea, perhaps unafraid of attacks from Iran-backed Houthis who could be considered ‘friendly’ given the vessel’s destination,” said Ishan Bhanu, lead agricultural commodities analyst at Kpler.

“It was carrying corn from Brazil. At a projected 4.5 million tonnes for this year, flows from Brazil make for the majority of Iran’s corn imports.”

A regional security official said the attack appeared designed to “show Iran does not control the Houthis and they act independently”, and that the Houthis had informed Tehran in advance.

Houthi militants in Yemen, who control the country’s most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial shipping since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, shipping and insurance sources say.