US Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has called on the Biden administration to threaten Iran with sinking its ships if its Yemeni proxy continues attacks against American vessels in the Red Sea.
“Tell Iran that the next Houthi missile or drone launched at an American ship will result in the sinking of Iran’s spy ships that target our Navy,” Senator Sullivan (R-AK) wrote in a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday.
Pointing out that US attacks on Houthi targets have not deterred the Iran-backed US-designated group against attacking commercial ships, he argued that the only way to stop the Houthis’ assaults is letting Iran know that it would face direct consequences.
He referred to a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, citing General Eric Kurilla, the Commander of US Central Command, as saying that that recent US strikes on Iranian proxies in the region “sent a very strong deterrent message.”
Kurilla, however, said Iran was not deterred from assisting Houthi strikes on US military and civilian targets, emphasizing that “Iranian spy ships are providing the Houthis with targeting information to sink American ships and kill US sailors and Marines.”
“Yet, Iran is facing zero consequences for this collusion... They are not paying the cost,” he said.
“As General Kurilla also noted, however, 'deterrence is always temporary’ and Houthi terrorists in Yemen have not been as effectively deterred,” Sullivan said in his letter. “If we ever expect Tehran to call off its terrorist proxies and make deterrence more than a temporary respite, Iran must be made to pay a price.”
Last week, the Houthis struck a commercial vessel, killing three of its crew members. In a separate attack two days later, American forces also shot down 28 drones and missiles.
During the hearing, Sullivan suggested Kurilla could order attacks to sink Iranian vessels after such an event, even thoughno US or allied vessels were damaged. Kurilla said that Biden would have to issue an order for such an operation.
Sullivan asked the CENTCOM commander if he had recommended sinking Iranian ships to Biden. Kurilla answered, “I provide options ranging everything from cyber to kinetic and I also identify the risk of escalation and all of those options.”
“In fact, the Houthis grow bolder by the day,” Sullivan said in his letter.
On Thursday, Iran-backed Houthis vowed to expand their operations beyond the Red Sea to block “Israel-linked ships” sailing through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape of Good Hope. This is the route many commercial vessels have been forced to take in the past few months, since the Houthis, armed by Iranian missiles and drones, have effectively closed the more common, far shorter path between Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
The Secretary of Iran's High Council for Human Rights, Kazem Gharibabadi, accused Western countries of influencing the decisions of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council – and reiterated that the Council does not recognize the Council’s fact-finding mission.
The Iranian regime uses its High Council to defend itself against international criticism for human rights abuses.
“By complying with the political and mostly illegitimate demands of Western countries in 2023, the United Nations Human Rights Council has caused more suffering to the victims of human rights violations and become a tool for political interference [in other countries’ affairs,” Gharibabadi said in response to the UN fact-finding mission’s preliminary report published on March 8.
Established by the UN human rights council in November 2022, in response to the widespread Woman, Life, Freedom protests that engulfed the nation, the fact-finding mission primarily centers on Iran's nationwide 2022-2023 protests. Its experts have expressed regrets over the Iranian authorities' lack of meaningful cooperation, despite repeated requests for information, including details regarding the killing and injury of security forces, as well as their denial of access to the country and its people.
In contrast, Gharibabadi referred to the mandate of the fact-finding mission, claiming that Iran “deals responsibly” with matters related to “riots in the country” while underlining that President Ebrahim Raisi appointed a national committee to investigate the “riots.”
The country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with Iranian officials, have consistently dismissed the characterization of the uprising as peaceful, instead arbitrarily labeling protesters as "rioters" and accusing them of engaging in "terrorist acts."
Regime denies deliberately shooting protesters' faces
In November 2022, more than 370 ophthalmologists reported that numerous protesters struck by rubber bullets, metal pellets, and paintball bullets fired at close range during the protests were treated at medical centers. Many suffered permanent loss of eyesight in one or both eyes.
Backing up those reports, the fact-finding mission’s investigation found that “security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force which resulted in the unlawful killing and injuries of protestors. A pattern of extensive injuries to protesters’ eyes caused the blinding of scores of women, men and children, branding them for life. The Mission also found evidence of extrajudicial killings.”
Moreover, the report highlighted that female protesters had been deliberately singled out due to their gender. They were subjected to close-range shootings aimed at their faces and genitals.
“A witness, who lost the sight in one eye, recalled a member of the security forces directing a paintball gun loaded with rubber bullets to the head from 1 m away. The mission notes the deterrent and chilling effect of such injuries, as they permanently marked the victims, essentially “branding” them as protesters. In a context where protests are effectively criminalized, the mission is satisfied that such an effect was intended,” the report read.
“These acts form part of a widespread and systematic attack directed against the civilian population in Iran, namely against women, girls, boys and men who have demanded freedom, equality, dignity and accountability,” said Sara Hossain, chair of the UN fact-finding mission.
Human rights organizations have compiled the names of at least 550 protesters, including 68 children, who were killed by security forces.
The full 400-page report is scheduled to be published on March 18th.