Iran has condemned Sunday the latest strikes by the United States and Britain on Yemen, saying they were seeking to “escalate tensions and crises” in the region, AFP reports.

On Saturday, American and British forces carried out fresh strikes against 18 Huthi targets in Yemen, in response to a wave of attacks by the Iran-backed group on Red Sea shipping.

“With such attacks, America and Britain seek to escalate tensions and crises in the region, and expand the scope of war and instability,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

“Certainly, this kind of arbitrary and aggressive military operation, aside from aggravating insecurity and instability in the region, will not achieve anything for these aggressor countries,” Kanani added.

He further condemned the United States and Britain for failing to “take immediate and effective action” to stop Israel’s deadly campaign in Gaza.

Following the Saturday attacks, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said the US “will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways”.