Iran secretly flew senior members of the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), as well as missile-related equipment (such as drone components), into Yemen earlier this month in what appears to be a significant expansion of Tehran’s support for the Houthi movement, according to multiple sources familiar with the operation.
The reported deployment comes as the Houthis have intensified attacks against commercial shipping and Saudi oil infrastructure in the Red Sea, raising concerns that Iran is strengthening one of its most strategically important regional proxies.
The transfer occurred on July 13 aboard a Mahan Air flight departing Tehran, according to Reuters, citing two Iranian sources.
Originally scheduled to land at Sanaa International Airport in Yemen, the airport came under attack by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government.
Thus, the flight was diverted to the Houthi-controlled port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast.
The plane in question was also transporting gold being transferred from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Houthis.
Flight Followed by Houthi Escalation
Just days after the flight arrived, the Houthis announced they were prepared to expand military operations in the Red Sea.
Indeed, shortly after the arrival of these elements into Yemen from Iran, the Houthis subsequently declared a naval blockade targeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis then launched attacks against Saudi oil tankers transiting near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints for energy shipments going between Europe and Asia.
The Houthis, meanwhile, accuse the Saudis of having broken the ceasefire that existed between the two warring sides. Per Houthi spokespeople, the July 13 flight was not carrying IRGC elements or Iranian weapons bound for the Shiite militia in Yemen.
What’s more, the Houthis officially take umbrage with any description of their organization as taking orders from Tehran.
Houthi elements, as well as the Iranian government, insist that the July 13 Mahan Air flight bound for Sanaa International Airport was merely returning elements of a Houthi delegation that had traveled to Tehran to attend the funeral of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
They also stated that there were countless Yemeni civilians on the flight who had received medical treatment in Iran.
New Air Link Raises Regional Concerns
But US and Saudi intelligence argue that the air links between Iran and the Houthis are helping to expand the regional war.
Earlier this month, the Houthis announced the establishment of direct commercial flights between Sanaa and Tehran. Iranian officials claimed that the point of the direct air links was to overcome the ongoing Saudi blockade of Yemen.
Critics accuse the Iranian air corridor of being little more than a naked attempt to facilitate increased logistical support from Tehran for their Houthi allies in Yemen.
These recent developments highlight the need for policymakers and analysts to closely monitor regional diplomatic and military shifts.
Because of the Saudi-backed attacks on the July 13 Mahan Air flight to Sanaa, though, the Houthis have retaliated by declaring their blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb (which is part of a wider blockade of Saudi-flagged ships in the Red Sea).
Strategic Implications for Saudi Arabia
This is a significant escalation, not just against the Saudis, but in the overall Iranian campaign to squeeze global commerce.
It’s part of Tehran’s larger strategy to apply so much pressure on the global economy that it forces the Americans to desist in their attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Such developments should alert policymakers and analysts to the broader economic risks involved.
The Houthi goal is similar to the Iranian one, only it is directly aimed at their regional foes in Riyadh.
Now, the Saudis find themselves in a serious bind. They had been using the Red Sea as an alternative route for moving their energy supplies that once used the Strait of Hormuz (SoH).
Since the Iranians blockaded the SoH at the start of the war, though, the Saudis found their access to the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb most convenient.
Because of the strikes targeting that Mahan Air flight on July 13, the Houthis now insist that the truce is over and the war between the two groups is back.
What Comes Next
With the escalation of hostilities and the severing of energy routes, questions arise about possible future military responses by Saudi Arabia or diplomatic efforts to de-escalate.
Exploring these options can help policymakers and analysts anticipate regional trajectories and prepare accordingly.
About The Author: Brandon J.Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is Senior National Security Editor. He also manages The Weichert Brief on Substack. Weichert also hosts “National Security Talk” on Rumble. He is the author of four bestselling national security books, the most recent of which is A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine (Encounter Books). Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.
