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Iran’s Alborz warship has journeyed into the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait amid escalating regional tensions.

According to Iranian state-controlled media, the destroyer’s presence is “to secure shipping lanes [and] repel pirates.”

This move comes as the United States has established a multinational naval task force in the Red Sea in response to missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on merchant vessels.

The Houthis, supported by Iran, have stated their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians, responding to Israel’s bombardment campaign in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, tensions have been further fueled by the killing of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander in Syria and a recent incident involving a US Navy helicopter firing on Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

The increased tension, exacerbated by Houthi attacks on commercial shipping, has resulted in the United Kingdom and the United States openly expressing their readiness to take direct action against the Houthis to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.