Iran Rejects Accusations of Involvement in Attacks on US Forces, Commercial Ships in Red Sea

Boats carrying people sail near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Boats carrying people sail near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
TT

Iran Rejects Accusations of Involvement in Attacks on US Forces, Commercial Ships in Red Sea

Boats carrying people sail near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Boats carrying people sail near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Iran has rejected Washington’s accusations that it has been behind a series of attacks on US forces and several commercial ships in the Red Sea.

Iran was reacting to sentiments echoed by the US and its ally, Britain, which held Tehran responsible for the actions of its proxies and partners.

On Monday, the British government released a statement, in which it “condemned the attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Houthis” and said “Iran has long provided military and political support to Houthis and bears responsibility for the actions of its proxies and partners.”

It noted that “the UK is committed to ensuring the safety of shipping in the region,” adding that the waters were vital for trade and the incidents showed the importance of the Royal Navy's presence there.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Tuesday dismissed as “baseless and unconstructive” remarks by the British government that said Iran was not responsible for any attacks by the militant groups it supports.

He stressed that resistance groups in the region are not taking orders from Tehran to confront the war crimes and genocide committed by Israel.

The Iranian spokesperson urged British officials to “condemn Israel's crimes against Palestinian civilians, including women and children, and facilitating aid delivery to them, instead of hurling unfounded accusations against others.”

This came while Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani said his country has not been involved in any actions or attacks against US military forces.

In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Iranian envoy made clear that Iran has not been part of any acts or attacks against US military forces in the region.

“Iran regards these unfounded allegations as a deliberate attempt by the United States, the occupying State, to justify and decriminalize its persistent criminal acts of aggression and serious violations of international law and the United Nations Charter within the Syrian Arab Republic and the region,” he said.

The United States has blamed Yemen's Iran-allied Houthi group for a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since war broke out between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 7.

In a briefing with reporters on Monday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington has “every reason to believe that these attacks, while they were launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran.”

On Sunday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran is responsible for attacks launched on commercial vessels in international waters in the southern Red Sea on the same day.

“These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security. They have jeopardized the lives of international crews representing multiple countries around the world. We also have every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran,” it said.

Yemen's Houthis have claimed attacks on two ships they described as being linked to Israel in the region.

On Sunday, three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea, the US military said. The Carney, an American destroyer, responded to distress calls and provided assistance following missile and drone launches from Houthi-controlled territory, according to US Central Command.

There are at least 74 attacks on US and coalition forces since October 17.



Bangladesh Protest Leaders Taken from Hospital by Police

People take part in a song march to protest against the indiscriminate killings and mass arrest in Dhaka on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
People take part in a song march to protest against the indiscriminate killings and mass arrest in Dhaka on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Bangladesh Protest Leaders Taken from Hospital by Police

People take part in a song march to protest against the indiscriminate killings and mass arrest in Dhaka on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
People take part in a song march to protest against the indiscriminate killings and mass arrest in Dhaka on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Bangladeshi police detectives on Friday forced the discharge from hospital of three student protest leaders blamed for deadly unrest, taking them to an unknown location, staff told AFP.

Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud and Abu Baker Majumder are all members of Students Against Discrimination, the group responsible for organizing this month's street rallies against civil service hiring rules.

At least 195 people were killed in the ensuing police crackdown and clashes, according to an AFP count of victims reported by police and hospitals, in some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's tenure.

All three were patients at a hospital in the capital Dhaka, and at least two of them said their injuries were caused by torture in earlier police custody.

"They took them from us," Gonoshasthaya hospital supervisor Anwara Begum Lucky told AFP. "The men were from the Detective Branch."

She added that she had not wanted to discharge the student leaders but police had pressured the hospital chief to do so.

Islam's elder sister Fatema Tasnim told AFP from the hospital that six plainclothes detectives had taken all three men.

The trio's student group had suspended fresh protests at the start of this week, saying they had wanted the reform of government job quotas but not "at the expense of so much blood".

The pause was due to expire earlier on Friday but the group had given no indication of its future course of action.

Islam, 26, the chief coordinator of Students Against Discrimination, told AFP from his hospital bed on Monday that he feared for his life.

He said that two days beforehand, a group of people identifying themselves as police detectives blindfolded and handcuffed him and took him to an unknown location.

Islam added that he had come to his senses the following morning on a roadside in Dhaka.

Mahmud earlier told AFP that he had also been detained by police and beaten at the height of last week's unrest.

Three senior police officers in Dhaka all denied that the trio had been taken from the hospital and into custody on Friday.

- Garment tycoon arrested -

Police told AFP on Thursday that they had arrested at least 4,000 people since the unrest began last week, including 2,500 in Dhaka.

On Friday police said they had arrested David Hasanat, the founder and chief executive of one of Bangladesh's biggest garment factory enterprises.

His Viyellatex Group employs more than 15,000 people according to its website, and its annual turnover was estimated at $400 million by the Daily Star newspaper last year.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police inspector Abu Sayed Miah said Hasanat and several others were suspected of financing the "anarchy, arson and vandalism" of last week.

Bangladesh makes around $50 billion in annual export earnings from the textile trade, which services leading global brands including H&M, Gap and others.

Student protests began this month after the reintroduction in June of a scheme reserving more than half of government jobs for certain candidates.

With around 18 million young people in Bangladesh out of work, according to government figures, the move deeply upset graduates facing an acute jobs crisis.

Critics say the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists to Hasina's Awami League.

- 'Call to the nation' -

The Supreme Court cut the number of reserved jobs on Sunday but fell short of protesters' demands to scrap the quotas entirely.

Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.

Her government is also accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Hasina continued a tour of government buildings that had been ransacked by protesters, on Friday visiting state broadcaster Bangladesh Television, which was partly set ablaze last week.

"Find those who were involved in this," she said, according to state news agency BSS.

"Cooperate with us to ensure their punishment. I am making this call to the nation."