After the US Navy launched large-scale attacks on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, Trump and his team emphasized that the real target is Iran. The Americans are demanding that Iran stop supporting the Houthis, otherwise they will target Iranian facilities in Yemen. Trump made his threats against Iran more explicit in today's tweet.
However, maintaining relations with the Houthis, who control the world's most strategic sea routes and the most important oil fields of the Gulf Arabs from the high mountains of northern Yemen, is of exceptional importance to Iran. It is clear that after losing Syria, losing Yemen will accelerate Iran's decline as a regional power. But for Tehran, the Houthis are not only important as part of the axis of resistance in the Middle East. Keeping Yemen in control is of great importance in the maritime strategy that Iran is trying to establish in the Arabian Sea to secure access from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. This strategy, called the “outstretched arm” in some sources, is considered a front line of defense created by Iran against a possible US intervention in the Persian Gulf.
It is not without reason that the Iranian leadership pays special attention to the maritime strategy: firstly, one of the main scenes of the new global competition between the US and China will be the Indian Ocean. In this regard, Tehran is also trying to become a player in the competition in the Ocean by entering the region. Secondly, the Persian Gulf is indeed Iran’s soft spot. Considering that a land operation is not even on the agenda in a possible intervention in Iran. The most powerful type of troops of the US Army is the naval forces. In other words, the sea is the place where Iran is most defenseless, and the US is strongest. It is no coincidence