The feud between the Houthis and the United States and Israel continues in the Red Sea, but things seem to have changed dramatically. The U.S. military claimed that the Houthis used two missiles to attack a 40,000-ton ship sailing in the Red Sea, the Star Iris, causing minor damage to the vessel. The ship, laden with Brazilian corn, was registered in the Marshall Islands and is part of Greece, and the voyage was destined for an Iranian port.
The Houthis have stated that their missiles and drones are mainly used to strike Israeli ships, followed by the ships of the United States, Britain and other countries involved in military operations. Under normal circumstances, the Houthis do not strike unrelated vessels. And this time it is obviously abnormal, if the Houthis even beat Iranian ships, it means that Iran has lost the ability to control the Houthis.
However, the truth of the matter is also very complicated, judging from the content of the information released by the United States, the above-mentioned ships are registered in the Marshall Islands and fly the flag of the Marshall Islands, and the Marshall Islands have the practice of being "managed" by the United States, which may become one of the motives for the Houthis to attack the relevant ships.
Moreover, although the ship "Star Iris" nominally destined for an Iranian port on the northern shore of the Persian Gulf, after leaving the Brazilian port, the ship had a very complicated itinerary, and somehow ended up in the Red Sea and tried to cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. If the ship is going directly to an Iranian port, it should not take this route.
A spokesman for the Houthis bluntly claimed that they were striking American ships, noting that naval missiles had accurately hit the Star Iris. It can be seen from the Houthis' statements that this armed group does not deny that they have attacked the "Star Iris", but from the perspective of the Houthis, this is an "American ship", not an "Iranian ship" as the United States calls it.
There are two reasons for this, one is that the Houthis may have really made a mistake. Because the ownership relationship of international shipping ships is very complicated, and the ships that now pass through the Red Sea are all "eight immortals crossing the sea to show their magical powers", they are all changing ways to ensure their safe passage, and the data and information presented may be distorted, which will lead to misjudgment. The Houthis also struck the British tanker Marin Luanda, which was carrying Russian naphtha, in January, when the Indian Navy rushed to the rescue. I don't know if the destination of the ship is India, anyway, the Houthis are fighting. But the Houthis also say they don't hit Russian ships.
Another reason is very straightforward, the Houthis did not make a mistake at all, they hit American ships. As mentioned above, a lot of ships may pack themselves in order to pass through the Red Sea safely. But the Houthis have reconnaissance tools, and they know which ships belong to which stakeholders. By portraying the batted ship as an "Iranian ship," the U.S. may be trying to confuse the situation and turn the Houthis and its allies against each other.
Although Iran stresses that it has nothing to do with the Houthis' actions, the Houthis are not subject to Iran's restraint. But there should be cooperation between the Houthis and Iran, and no matter how good the Houthis are, it is impossible for them to attack Iran's ships.