Iran slams US' planned maritime force in Red Sea

Iran on Thursday warned against a US plan to form a multinational coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea as regional tensions continue to escalate amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

“If they make such an irrational move, they will be faced with extraordinary problems,” Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told the official Iranian Students News Agency.

“Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance,” he added.

Last week, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that Washington was in talks with allied countries about a plan to form a maritime task force to “ensure safe passage of ships in the Red Sea.”