Iran is directly involved in the attacks on ships in the Middle East carried out by Yemeni Houthi rebels during Israel’s conflict with Hamas, states the commander of the U.S. Navy in the Middle East, Brad Cooper. It is noted that since November, Houthi rebels have carried out at least 34 attacks on merchant vessels transiting the vital route to the Egyptian Suez Canal, a crucial pathway for energy resources and cargoes traveling from Asia and the Middle East to Europe. Cooper described these attacks as the worst since the so-called tanker war of the 1980s. He asserts that Iran directly fuels t…