Defence Secretary urges Iran to halt backing for Yemeni rebels in Red Sea
Grant Shapps said the world is "running out of patience" for the raids
The Defence Secretary has told Iran to tell its allies in Yemen to stand down as the crisis in the Red Sea continues to escalate.
Grant Shapps said on Friday (January 12th) that the world was "running out of patience" as trade is continuing to be disrupted due to rebels in Yemen targeting cargo ships.
Houthi rebels in Yemen are backed by the Iranian government as they try to cement their influence in the region, with the force garnering immense public support in Houthi-controlled areas of the country.
But Shapps said that Tehran needs to be "clearer with its many proxies" in the area so that they understand the gravity of the situation.
Houthi rebels have been attacking and raiding ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks, with the militias claiming to be aiming for boats linked to Israel as they throw their support behind Hamas in their ongoing war in Gaza.
Many of the attacks from rebels are taking place in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which provides a narrow passageway towards the Suez Canal via the Red Sea.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is the world's busiest shipping route, but is a bottleneck between Yemen and Djibouti, meaning ships must navigate a tight path in order to pass through to the Red Sea and into Europe.
Currently, Britain and the United States have stationed ships in the channel so that commercial trade can resume, despite many companies opting to take the much longer route around Africa to ensure the safety of goods.
But Thursday morning saw American and British military personnel take to the skies as they launched airstrikes on facilities being used by Houthi rebels in response to the multiple raids by the militant forces.
Speaking following the strikes, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the two nations acted in "self-defence", adding that they would continue to assure safe transport for goods coming through the sea.
However, many experts have said that Britain and America's co-ordinated target on Yemeni soil could lead to an even greater escalation of tensions and the potential for a wider conflict.
In the Iranian capital, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the UK and US and Israeli embassies to burn flags in opposition to the moves.