Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Friday that Tehran is attempting to "relocate parts of its military industry to territory controlled by the Houthis," which would endanger global shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden. According to al-Eryani, the plan involves manufacturing ballistic missiles and drones in the governorates of Sa'da and Hajjah, as well as around the capital, Sana’a.

He warned: “International complacency in the face of these measures will cost the region and the world dearly, and give Iran the opportunity to consolidate a dangerous reality by turning Yemen into a workshop for developing its prohibited programs, an advanced missile base for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and a platform for launching threats against regional security.”

Strategic and Tactical Parallels

Al-Eryani also pointed to the types of weapons used by Iran during the recent 12-day war, saying they serve as "clear evidence of the true source of the Houthi missile system." He emphasized that both Iran and the Houthis have employed ballistic, hypersonic, and suicide drones, as well as shared tactics such as “multiple missile trajectories” and “low-altitude drones to bypass radars and exhaust defenses.”

“The tactics adopted by the Revolutionary Guard… are an exact copy of the Houthi tactics used in attacks against neighboring countries and ships,” he said, adding that this “confirms what international reports have documented about the presence of experts from Iranian Revolutionary Guard inside Yemen and their complete guidance of operations.”

Risk to Global Shipping

Al-Eryani stressed that Iran's presence in Yemen threatens not only regional powers but also “poses a direct danger to the global economy, supply chains, and energy prices.” He warned that failing to act would allow Iran to entrench its military infrastructure in Yemen and jeopardize efforts to reach a political solution to the conflict.

U.S. View: Houthis Will Remain a Threat

Al-Eryani’s statement comes after U.S. Air Force Lt.-Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said, “The Houthis are likely to be a persistent problem... that we'll be dealing with in the future a few times again.” Grynkewich, currently the Director of Operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and nominee to lead the U.S. European Command, made the remarks in a congressional briefing.

In parallel, a Houthi military spokesperson said the group would target American ships in the Red Sea in retaliation for recent U.S. strikes on Iran.