Iran’s Alborz warship has entered the Red Sea through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait, Tasnim news agency reported, at a time of heightened tensions over the globally important waterway, according to AFP.

The agency did not give specific reasons for its deployment, but noted that Iranian military vessels had operated in the area since 2009.

“The Alborz destroyer entered the Red Sea […] by passing through the Bab al-Mandeb,” waterway at the southern tip of the Red Sea, connecting with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean, the agency said.