Pirates of the Red Sea: Houthi rebels seize South Korean marine rig in Red Sea

Nora Bendary

Iran always seeks to move its terrorist arms to commit criminal acts against countries in an attempt to blackmail the world and expand into new areas of control, and to draw attention away from the popular uprising against the Mullahs’ regime across the country.

A Saudi Arabian tugboat was seized by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels last  Sunday the vessel was towing a South Korean drilling rig in the south of the Red Sea when it fell under hijacking and armed robbery by two boats.

The Yemeni government accused Teheran of instructing the Houthis to hijack the Korean ships while they were sailing south in the Red Sea, according to Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani, who deemed this assault a “terrorist organization.”

Moreover, Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has voiced strong condemnation of Iran’s violation of the UN Charter, Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and Security Council’s relevant resolutions on Yemen, mainly Resolution 2216, by supporting and recognizing the actions of Houthis militia in Yemen.

“This terrorist operation by Houthis reveals the threat posed by its control over the port of Hodeidah and the coastal strip of the city on the security and freedom of international navigation and the movement of international trade in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab al-Mandab,” Eryani posted on Twitter.

He further added that Yemen is calling upon the international community to take decisive measures against the Houthi’s piracy that constitutes a precedent and serious violation of international law and “to take action to support legitimate government to stop the threat of terrorist militia on the international navigation, security and peace.”

He said timing of this serious escalation coincides with the protests in many Iranian provinces confirms that it was planned by Iran through their proxy the Houthis to divert attention of this uprisings and exacerbate of the conflict in the region.

The official condemnations came following a statement by coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki that said, “On Sunday, during the sailing of the tugboat Rabigh-3 in the southern Red Sea, it was hijacked and subjected to armed robbery by terrorist elements affiliated to the Houthi militia.

“The boat was towing a [marine rig] owned by a South Korean company,”

This is not the first time that the Houthi militia has carried out such criminal act, as the Iranian-backed coup militia has hijacked and attacked commercial ships and oil tankers in international ports and corridors across the Red Sea, despite international warnings, against continuing these practices.

For his part, the Editor in chief of Alyawm Alththamin newspaper Saleh Abu Audal told The Reference that the Houthi militias cannot commit such assault without Iran’s support.

He further added that there are many parties that are against any deals or solutions to stop the war in Yemen because this would hinder their own devious interests in the region.