French, British ships are legitimate targets for Iran, hardline paper editor says

The editor-in-chief of Iran’s hardline Kayhan newspaper said on Monday that Iran’s armed forces could attack British and French naval vessels over what he called cooperation with the US and Israel.

“The French and British armies have formally announced that they crossed the Suez Canal and entered Red Sea waters to cooperate with the US and Israel. Therefore, attacking these vessels is our natural and recognized right and can be defined within the framework of legal defense,” Hossein Shariatmadari wrote.

He added that the vessels were within range of Iran’s long-range missiles and that Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen had missile dominance over the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.

“Yemen’s resistance forces have also eagerly declared their readiness to carry out this divine mission,” he said.