Britain tells Iran to ‘cease and desist’ after strikes on Tehran-backed Houthis

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has told Iran to urge its allies to “cease and desist” after Britain joined the US in launching airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Mr Shapps warned on Friday that the world is “running out of patience” with Tehran’s destabilising activities, calling for it to be “clearer with its many proxies” in the Middle East.

Overnight on Thursday, the UK and the US bombed military facilities used by the Houthis in response to the militants’ attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak insisted Britain and the US acted “in self-defence” and that allies would not hesitate to ensure the safety of commercial shipping.

But some experts warned the strikes raised the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East, as a group gathered outside the UK embassy in Tehran to burn the flags of Britain, the US and Israel.

The Houthis’ Supreme Political Council threatened in a statement that “all American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces”.

They called the airstrikes a “direct and declared aggression against the Republic of Yemen” and labelled the UK and the US “aggressors”.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations received a report of a missile attack 90 miles off the coast of Aden, Yemen, on Friday afternoon.

The Royal Navy initiative that provides information on security incidents to shipping operators said the missile landed between 400-500 metres away from the ship.

Followed by three craft, it was unclear what nationality the ship was flagged with. No injuries or damage were reported, as vessels were advised to “transit with caution”.

There were also reports of a “suspicious approach” by small boats south east of Aden.

Asked his message to Tehran, he said: “You must get the Houthi rebels, others who are acting as proxies for you, Lebanese Hezbollah are obvious examples, (and) some in Iraq and Syria, you must get these different organisations to cease and desist because we are, the world is, running out of patience.

“We see you, we see through what you’re doing. We see how you’re doing it, particularly the Houthi rebels, and no good can come from it.”

He argued that the UK was “acting in self-defence” because of the threat to container ships and because of HMS Diamond being targeted by a drone last month.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) was assessing what effect the strikes had on limiting the Houthis’ ability to carry out more raids.

Early on Saturday, the US struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that they determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk.

US Central Command said the “follow-on action” against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.

Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron warned that allies would do “what is necessary” to “protect maritime freedom of navigation and important maritime pathways”.

He told NBC that the “very clear message” was that “if you act in this way there aren’t just warnings there are consequences”.

Downing Street said that the strikes against the Houthis may not immediately make the Red Sea safer for commercial shipping, but in the “longer term” would have a “positive effect”.

A senior US military official said nearly 30 sites were struck in Yemen.

Four Royal Air Force jets struck two Houthi facilities involved in their targeting of HMS Diamond and US Navy vessels on Tuesday, the MoD said.