Iranian state media confirmed Tehran sent a warship to the Red Sea as the area rapidly militarizes, Al Jazeera reports.
The IRIS Alborz, part of the 94th Naval Fleet of the Iranian army, travelled through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait near Yemen to arrive at the Red Sea.
The warship was originally built half a century ago, prior to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, but was overhauled and had new combat systems installed four years ago to rejoin the naval force of the army, separate from the naval force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp.
The news comes as state media reported Iran’s security chief, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, held a meeting with top Houthi negotiator Mohammad Abdulsalam. It is unclear where or when the meeting took place, but Iranian media quoted Ahmadian as saying Tehran praised the Houthis for supporting Palestinians and standing up to Israel.