“For his support of the Houthi group.” British sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard

A battleship belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (Iranian press)

Britain on Tuesday imposed sanctions on units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, accusing them of helping the Houthi group "launch attacks in the Red Sea."

The British Foreign Office said that the sanctions were imposed in coordination with the United States.

The sanctions target Reza Falahzadeh, deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, three units of the Guard's Quds Force, financier Saeed al-Jamal, residing in Iran, and the minister concerned with security in the Houthi group.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said, "The attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis are unacceptable, illegal, and represent a threat to innocent lives and freedom of navigation."

He added in a statement, "As I made clear to the Iranian Foreign Minister, the regime in Tehran bears responsibility for these attacks due to the extensive military support it provides to the Houthis."

Last November, the Houthi group began preventing commercial ships from reaching Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which is being subjected to Israeli aggression that led to the death of more than 30,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children.

But the United States and Britain struck military targets in Yemen and formed an alliance with other countries that they said aimed to protect ships in the Red Sea.

In response to these strikes, the Houthi group announced the expansion of its goals to include attacking British and American ships.

Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters