Iran is on a quest to dominate the Middle East and the power struggle it creates is destined to “define both regional and global dynamics”, according to an expert.
The chaos in the Red Sea sparked by the Houthi movement attacking commercial ships prompted the UK and the US to launch a series of airstrikes against targets in Yemen linked to the group last week.
Former Israeli intelligence official and regional analyst Avi Melamed believes the “unfolding scenario” in the Red Sea, one of the most important trade routes in the world, reflects a “convergence of Tehran’s hegemonic goals and the West’s commitment to global order”.
He said: “The results of the ongoing clashes won’t only shape the regional landscape, but the global one.”
While the Red Sea tensions started in response to the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, as the Houthis are showing their support to the Palestinian terrorist group, Mr Melamed added: “Tehran’s quest for regional domination is not about what’s going on in Gaza but rather to shape the trajectory of the international system.”
The fact the Houthis have not stopped their incursions in the Red Sea “signals that Iran has not been deterred yet and likely does not believe the US is willing to directly or with significant force respond to the harassment it is directing through its proxies, and most recently through its own direct action”, the expert added.
Both Washington and London have stressed their recent military actions in Yemen are limited to reign in the Houthis and their operations in the Red Sea, which is disrupting global trade.
While they didn’t rule out new airstrikes, it has also been noted a war on a larger scale in the Red Sea against the Houthi would be much more expensive for the Western allies than for the rebel group.
The Houthis are, like Hamas and Hezbollah, militarily and economically supported by Tehran.
In the wake of the US and UK airstrikes in Yemen, Iran leapt to condemn the military action. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanani, called the strikes an “arbitrary action” and claimed they will fuel “insecurity and instability in the region”.
In the wake of the October 7 attacks launched by Hamas on Israel, Tehran has also expressed support for Gazans and the terror group – although it repeatedly claimed not to have played any action in the harrowing act of terrorism.
Iran hasn’t been active in the Middle East only through its proxies but has also launched attacks in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan in recent days.
On Monday, Tehran launched ballistic missiles in northern Iraq at what it claimed was a spy base for the Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad – despite Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein denying the presence of a Mossad-affiliated centre in the Erbil area.
Moreover, Iran said to have targeted anti-Iran terror groups” in Syria following an attack in the city of Kerman which killed dozens of Iranians. On Tuesday, Iran also hit with airstrikes a Pakistani region bordering its own territory, likely to target the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl.
