US to sanction Iranian ship used by Houthis to attack shipping near Yemen

Washington Free Beacon:
The Trump administration will take action against an Iranian ship that has been stationed at a key choke point in the Red Sea for months and is believed to be providing significant military aid to terrorist forces in Yemen, according to U.S. officials and military experts familiar with the situation.

An Iranian ship believed to be masked as a cargo vessel has been identified as the "mother ship" stationed in the Red Sea providing targeting information for Houthi anti-ship attacks, which have increased in recent months, including a late July attack by Iranian-backed rebels on a Saudi oil tanker.

The ship, identified as the Saviz, was delisted from U.S. sanctions by the Obama administration as part of its efforts to uphold the landmark nuclear deal with Iran, U.S. officials confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon.

Upcoming Trump administration action against the Saviz and other Iranian vessels is part of a broader package of sanctions expected to kick back in on Nov. 5, officials confirmed. Sanctions will target Iran's port operations, shipping and shipbuilding sectors, and other affiliates.
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"The Iranian military is likely using the Saviz to provide targeting data for Houthi anti-shipping attacks," according to WINEP. "Closer observation of the vessel and the threat of exposing its suspected intelligence role might be enough to make it leave the area. Alternatively, if authorities are able to prove its complicity in military activities, they may have a case for boarding and seizing it, which could yield further evidence that Iran is violating UN sanctions and supporting attacks on civilian vessels."
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Seizing the ship would probably yield more evidence than sinking it.  The US could also use countermeasures against the ship that would disable its operations.

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