Iran's Alborz warship has reportedly entered the Red Sea, coming amid heightened tensions in the key shipping lane amid continued attacks on ships in response to the Israel-Hamas war.
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Monday that the ship had entered the Red Sea through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but it was unclear exactly when.
Tasnim did not go into details about Alborz's mission, but said Iranian warships have been operating in international waters since 2009 to secure shipping lanes, combat piracy and carry out other tasks. .
Iranian naval personnel stand guard near the Strait of Hormuz, south of Tehran. (Morteza Nicobazul/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
According to Iranian Press TV, the Arvand-class destroyer is part of the Iranian Navy's 34th Fleet, which until 2015 patrolled the Gulf of Aden, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The news came as the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was returning to its home base in Norfolk, Virginia, after moving to the Eastern Mediterranean following Hamas' deadly invasion of Israel on October 7.
Israel announces partial troop withdrawal from Gaza in new phase of Hamas war
After the October 7 attack, the Ford was deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean so it could be within range of Israel.
The US Navy shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by an incoming Iranian-backed Houthi missile in the Red Sea on Tuesday, signaling a serious escalation in the region.
The aircraft carrier remained in the Mediterranean Sea and its accompanying ship sailed to the Red Sea, where Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have been shutting down ships since November to show support for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war with Israel. It's targeted.
In response, many major shipping companies have rerouted ships around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, incurring prohibitive costs and delays.
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Houthi militants attacked a Maersk container ship with missiles and small boats on Saturday and Sunday, causing the company to suspend all shipping through the Red Sea for 48 hours.
FOX News' Greg Wenner and Reuters contributed to this report.
