Yemen’s information minister on Friday accused Iran of attempting to relocate parts of its military industry to territory controlled by the Houthis, which he said would endanger global shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden.
Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani confirmed in a statement that Tehran’s plan includes the production of ballistic missiles and drones in the northern governorates of Sa’da and Hajjah, as well as areas surrounding the capital, Sana’a.
Al-Eryani warned in a post on his X/Twitter account of Iran's plans.
“International complacency in the face of these measures will cost the region and the world dearly, and give Iran the opportunity to consolidate a dangerous reality by turning Yemen into a workshop for developing its prohibited programs, an advanced missile base for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and a platform for launching threats against regional security, which means consolidating a reality that does not allow for achieving stability in Yemen or in its surroundings, and opening a permanent front against international navigation and trade in one of the most important sea lanes in the world,” he wrote.
“This escalating threat does not only affect neighboring countries, but also poses a direct danger to the global economy, supply chains, and energy prices.”
Similarities between the Iran, Houthi attacks
Al-Eryani noted the missiles used by Iran during the recent 12-day war and warned the international community of the Houthis’ arsenal.
“The missile systems used by the Revolutionary Guards during the ’12-Day War,’ of various types - ballistic, hypersonic, and suicide drones - represented clear evidence of the true source of the Houthi missile system.”
Al-Eryani went on to say that the Houthis had used the same types of missiles and techniques in attacks on neighboring countries and international shipping routes.
He went on to address further similarities between the Iranian attacks and previous Houthi attacks.
“The confrontation also showed that the tactics adopted by the Revolutionary Guard, including missile attacks, multiple missile trajectories, and use of low-altitude drones to bypass radars and exhaust defenses, are an exact copy of the Houthi tactics used in attacks against neighboring countries and ships, which reflects a similarity in operational doctrine and confirms what international reports have documented about the presence of experts from Iranian Revolutionary Guard inside Yemen and their complete guidance of operations, including attacks on international shipping lines.”
According to the minister, this coordination undermines Houthi assertions that their weapons are domestically manufactured. Instead, he said, it highlights that strategic decisions in rebel-controlled territory are being directed from Tehran.
Al-Eryani urged the international community to treat these warnings with urgency. Failing to act, he warned, would allow Iran to entrench its military infrastructure in Yemen, threaten regional stability, obstruct prospects for a political resolution, and endanger international maritime trade in one of the world’s most vital sea lanes.
The Yemeni minister’s warning comes after a senior US military official told Reuters that the Houthis would likely be a long-term issue for the US.
"The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem... that we'll be dealing with in the future a few times again," Air Force Lt.-Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told lawmakers.
Grynkewich is currently the Director of Operations (J3) for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and has been nominated to lead the US military's European Command (EUCOM).
The Houthis said that they would target US ships in the Red Sea after Washington struck Iran, the group's military spokesperson said on Saturday.