Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, said his country has not been involved in any actions or attacks against US military forces, Reuters has cited the semi-official Tasnim news agency as reporting.

The United States has blamed Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi group for a series of attacks in Middle Eastern waters since fighting broke out between Israel and Hamas on Oct 7.

In a briefing with reporters on Monday, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington has “every reason to believe that these attacks, while they were launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran”.

In the latest incidents, three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters in the southern Red Sea on Sunday. The Houthis acknowledged launching drone and missile attacks against what they said were two Israeli vessels in the area.

The Carney, a US Navy destroyer, shot down three drones on Sunday as it answered distress calls from the commercial vessels. The US military says the three vessels were connected to 14 separate nations.