Norman Roule, a former CIA official and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, referring to the Houthis’ attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb, wrote on X: “Violence and acts of pressure against international waterways have always been a constant part of the Islamic Republic’s toolkit for exerting power.”

He added: “The lack of sustained media attention, the absence of international efforts to bring the perpetrators of this attack to the table of justice, and the lack of meaningful pressure on the Islamic Republic to curb the support of the Quds Force for such operations, reveal many things about how the approach to ‘terrorism’ has evolved since the attacks of September 11.”

Roule also wrote: “The situation resulting from the actions of the Islamic Republic and its proxy forces in the region shows that pursuing a continuous policy of engagement with Tehran and its proxy forces has meant that the killing of innocent civilians comes with little regard and even less accountability.”