The Iranian ship "Behshad" faces an intense investigation into what it is doing in the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf (websites)

The British newspaper "Financial Times" reported that maritime experts suspect that a mysterious naval ship sailing between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden is working to provide the Houthis with data that helps them determine the targets of their attacks on ships.

The newspaper explained in its report that the Iranian ship "Behshad", which is currently facing intense scrutiny by maritime experts, moved to the Gulf of Aden after years in the Red Sea, just at a time when attacks on ships in the vital waterway off Yemen escalated.

She added that "Behshad", which superficially looks like an ordinary dry materials tanker, moved to the Gulf of Aden last January, and has since followed an unconventional, slow, and winding route around those waters near the entrance to the Red Sea.

Experts also noted a decrease in Houthi attacks during a period last month when Behshad was apparently out of work.

The ship's behavior is unusual

John Gahagan, chief marine risk specialist at Sedna Global, said that the behavior of the "Behshad", registered in Iran and carrying the Iranian flag, was "very unusual" and did not resemble the behavior of ordinary transport ships, wondering what its function was "if it was not supplying... The Houthis with intelligence information about ship movements in the region?

The report said that fears of “Behshad”’s involvement in providing targeting information to the Houthis have increased since this week’s attack on the ship “True Confidence,” which carries steel and trucks from China to Saudi Arabia, especially since “Behshad” was 80 nautical kilometers away when it was struck. “True Confidence.” This attack came after 6 other attacks in the Gulf of Aden or at the entrance to the Red Sea in just 15 days.

Experts also point to a calming pace of Houthi attacks in February following a cyberattack on Behshad.

Data from ship tracking website Marine Traffic at the time shows the ship spent more than two weeks away from its normal sailing area.

The British Defense Minister raised concerns about it

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps last month highlighted concerns about Iranian ships loitering off Yemen.

“The whole world needs to keep up the pressure on Iran to cease and desist this behavior,” he told the House of Commons.

"Behshad" was registered as an ordinary dry goods carrier, and outwardly it looks like any of the thousands of ships that roam the oceans.

The newspaper's report indicated that a video clip posted on a Telegram channel linked to the Iranian army last month described the ship as a "floating weapons depot" and insisted that it had a role in combating piracy.

The video, which did not address the contradiction between the Behshad's presentation as a commercial ship and its strategic role, included a warning against attacking it.

A voiceover accompanying an image in the video of both Behshad and a US aircraft carrier said: “Those who engage in terrorist attacks against Behshad or similar vessels endanger international sea routes and security and bear global responsibility for potential future international risks.”

A close connection between its movements and the Houthi attacks

However, maritime security experts have long commented on the close link between Behshad and Houthi attacks.

Years later, after the ship was almost stationary in the Red Sea, the ship sailed south on January 11 through the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait to the Gulf of Aden, as information from Marine Traffic shows.

John Gahagan commented on the links between Behshad's movements and the attacks as implausible coincidences, adding that if Iran is giving weapons to the Houthis, Behshad's suspected role in discovering the ships is not excluded.

What action is expected?

However, the Financial Times says it is still unclear what action the US-led coalition wants to take to confront the Houthi threat to shipping against the controversial ship.

The British Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a question about what it intends to do about this issue.

Martin Kelly, senior Middle East analyst at EOS Discovery, a maritime security group, noted that Tehran would likely consider any attack on Behshad as crossing a "red line."

For this reason, it was difficult to see how the threat could be immediately countered by the United States and its allies.

Source: Financial Times