The Iranian destroyer Alborz – a 51-year-old warship – has entered the tense Red Sea through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Iranian state media reported on January 1. The Tasnim news agency, which has ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said the move was connected to developments involving the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels operating in the region. The United States has established a multination naval task force to protect shipping in the region against Huthi attacks. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, click here.
