In a statement issued on Sunday, Iran issued a warning to the United States regarding the possibility of targeting two cargo ships in the Middle East. The vessels in question, Behshad and Saviz, have long been suspected of serving as a forwarding operating base for Iranian commandos. This warning comes in the wake of a massive airstrike campaign launched by the US and the United Kingdom against Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The statement from Iran regarding the two ships appears to reflect Tehran's growing unease over recent US strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. These strikes were aimed at militias supported by the Islamic Republic, and they were carried out as a retaliatory campaign for the killing of three US soldiers and the injuring of dozens of others in Jordan. This chain of events traces back to Israel's conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has heightened tensions throughout the wider Middle East and raised concerns about the possibility of a regional conflict.

The airstrikes in Yemen, conducted overnight on Sunday, targeted six provinces held by the Houthi rebels, including the capital city of Sanaa. While the rebels did not provide an assessment of the damage caused, the US described hitting underground missile arsenals, launch sites, and rebel-held helicopters. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree vowed that these airstrikes would not deter Yemeni forces and the nation from supporting Palestinians in the face of what they view as Israeli occupation and crimes. He added that the aggressor's attacks would not go unanswered.

Following the strikes, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned the Houthis that they would face further consequences if they did not cease their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron echoed this sentiment, stressing that the Houthi attacks must stop. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reaffirmed the government's commitment to confronting any threats posed by any group or country.

The Behshad and Saviz, registered as commercial cargo ships, are associated with a Tehran-based company that the US Treasury has sanctioned for its links to the state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. These ships have reportedly been stationed in the Red Sea off Yemen for several years, raising suspicions that they serve as spy positions for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. In 2017, Saudi Arabia described the Saviz as a maritime base and weapons transshipment point for the Guard.

The statement released by Iran's regular army in a video on Sunday referred to the vessels as "floating armories" for the first time, claiming that the Behshad is involved in countering piracy in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. However, there is no public knowledge of Iran's participation in recent anti-piracy campaigns in the region following the Houthi attacks.

Just prior to the US airstrike campaign, the Behshad sailed south into the Gulf of Aden and is currently docked in Djibouti, near a Chinese military base. The video statement ended with a warning overlaying footage of US warships and an American flag, cautioning against engaging in terrorist activities against Behshad or similar vessels.

The US Navy's 5th Fleet, based in the Middle East, has declined to comment on the threat. Meanwhile, the Saviz, currently located in the Indian Ocean near areas targeted by alleged Iranian drone attacks on shipping, has previously come under attack. In 2021, a suspected limpet mine explosion caused significant damage to the ship, prompting Iran to bring it back home. This attack, believed to have been carried out by Israel, is part of an ongoing shadow war between Tehran and Israel following the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal.