Iran Says Houthi Ally to Pause Ship Attacks for Oil Tanker to Be Rescued

Iran has announced that its Yemeni ally has agreed to a temporary pause in an ongoing campaign against vessels accused of supporting Israel in order to allow ships to reach a damaged oil tanker in the Red Sea.

Yemen's Ansar Allah, also spelled Ansarullah and widely known as the Houthi movement, announced last week that it had targeted the Greek-owned MV Sounion as part of a nine-month campaign to put pressure on international shipping over the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. officials later warned that the vessel may be leaking oil, warning of the potential for up to a million barrels of oil to be spilled into the Red Sea as a result of Ansar Allah's maritime offensive. On Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said that an unspecified third-party nation had attempted to send two tugboats to bring the damaged ship to port only to face threats of attacks from Ansar Allah.

In response, the Iranian Mission to the United Nations said later that same day that, while "Yemen's Ansarullah Movement has already announced that it will—as long as the war on Gaza persists—continue to target oil tankers bound for the Israeli regime in the Red Sea," the group would pause operations to allow for the MV Sounion to be rescued.

"Following the outbreak of a fire on the targeted oil tanker, which was carrying oil for the regime, and the subsequent environmental hazards, several countries have reached out to ask Ansarullah, requesting a temporary truce for the entry of tugboats and rescue ships into the incident area," the Iranian Mission to the United Nations said in a statement shared with Newsweek.

"In consideration of humanitarian and environmental concerns, Ansarullah has consented to this request," the statement added. "The failure to provide aid and prevent an oil spill in the Red Sea stems from the negligence of certain countries, rather than concerns over the possibility of being targeted."

Newsweek has reached out to Ansar Allah and U.S. Central Command for comment.

Ansar Allah, a member of the Iran-aligned Axis of Resistance, launched its first strike at sea just over a month after Hamas conducted an unprecedented surprise attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the longest and deadliest war in Gaza to date. Since then, dozens of ships have come under attack in the Red Sea and neighboring waters, with at least two vessels being sunk and another two seized by the group, one of which was later released.

Ansar Allah has also launched dozens of direct attacks on Israel, including a deadly drone strike that shook the heart of Tel Aviv last month. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) responded with a series of airstrikes against Yemen's critical Ansar Allah-held port of Hodeidah.

The United States has along conducted a number of strikes against Ansar Allah equipment at sea and positions in Yemeni territory. However, the group has repeatedly vowed to continue missile and drone attacks against Israel and commercial vessels accused of violating the unilateral blockade until Israel ceased operations in Gaza.

This is a developing news story. More information will be added as it becomes available.

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