Iran and Houthi terror proxy facing Red Sea threat from pro-US African nation

Iran is said to beryllium ‘deeply threatened’ by nan mini African breakaway state, Somaliland, because of nan imaginable for U.S., Israeli and Western powers to usage its heavy h2o larboard and airbase.

Such moves would severely disrupt Iran’s scheme to usage their proxy, Yemen’s Houthi panic group, to onslaught Red Sea shipping.

Iran has been accused of pressuring nan Houthis to renew their strikes on shipping, peculiarly successful nan Red Sea’s Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway has go nan main way for lipid to vessel retired of nan Middle East to Asia since nan Strait of Hormuz was efficaciously closed.

COULD SOMALILAND BASE EMERGE AS US FOOTHOLD AGAINST IRAN, HOUTHIS IN KEY SEA LANES?

A Somaliland subject equipped conveyance takes portion successful a parade during nan self-declared Independence Day, pinch celebrations commemorating their 1991 breakaway from Somalia, amid renewed attraction connected Somaliland's push for world nickname aft Israel became nan first state to formally admit nan self‑declared Republic of Somaliland arsenic an independent and sovereign authorities successful East Africa, successful Hargeisa, nan superior of Somalia's breakaway territory of Somaliland, May 18, 2026.  (Reuters/Stringer)

Lisa Daftari, a Middle East and overseas argumentation expert, told Fox News Digital, "Iran’s authorities is profoundly threatened by what Somaliland represents successful an emerging pro‑Western, perchance pro‑Israel foothold overlooking nan Bab el‑Mandeb, that could blunt Tehran’s leverage via nan Houthis complete Red Sea shipping and Israel."

Daftari, nan editor‑in‑chief of The Foreign Desk, said, "that’s why Iran‑backed Houthis are already explicitly threatening to onslaught immoderate Israeli aliases Western subject beingness successful Somaliland and informing they could move to choke nan Bab el‑Mandeb if nan conflict pinch nan U.S. and Israel escalates." 

The White House has said that Iran’s proxies, specified arsenic nan Houthis, person been weakened. "The United States Military achieved each of nan goals laid retired for Operation Epic Fury – including weakening Iran’s proxies. Now, Iran is being strangled economically – giving President Trump each nan cards arsenic negotiations continue," Anna Kelly, typical adjunct to nan President and White House main lawman property caput told Fox News Digital erstwhile asked if nan U.S. was considering a full-time-basing narration pinch Somaliland.

A tanker sits astatine nan Port of Fujairah, arsenic nan U.S.-Israel conflict pinch Iran limits marine postulation successful nan Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS / Amr Alfiky / File Photo)

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a elder chap astatine The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) told Fox News Digital that Somaliland’s nickname of Israel and Israel’s nickname of it past December has intelligibly irked Iran.

Fitton-Brown, who is simply a erstwhile U.K. ambassador to Yemen — nan Houthis location country, said Iran "opposes immoderate nickname of it (Somaliland) chiefly because Israel is nan first state to admit it, and Iran will reason thing that Israel does. Iran is besides viscerally opposed to nan U.S. and UAE, some of which person pragmatic engagement pinch Somaliland, short of recognition. Somaliland is simply a imaginable guidelines for anti-Houthi enforcement, i.e. a threat to nan Iranian Axis of Resistance."

IS TRUMP CONSIDERING BOLD AFRICA PLAY TO PUSH BACK ON CHINA, RUSSIA AND ISLAMIC TERRORISTS?

Pro-Iran protesters brandish advertisements depicting nan Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, flags of Yemen and Iran, weapons, and chant slogans arsenic they return portion successful a rally held to condemn nan US-Israel aerial attacks connected Iran and sidesplitting nan Iranian ultimate leader and respective subject officials connected March 1, 2026 successful Sana'a, Yemen.  (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

The U.S. already has a ample guidelines connected nan Red Sea successful Djibouti, but Fitton-Brown says this is progressively problematical "China is importantly expanding its subject and commercialized beingness successful Djibouti. There is simply a consciousness that Djibouti is not a reliable state for nan U.S. So Somaliland’s clip has astir apt come."

And Somaliland hopes so. Its Foreign Minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adam, told Fox News Digital "At a clip erstwhile nan Strait of Hormuz is nether unit and threats to nan Red Sea are escalating, Somaliland has reiterated its longstanding connection to supply nan United States pinch entree on our coast. We person been clear astir this successful times of peace, and we are arsenic clear today."

Iranian soldiers return portion successful an yearly subject drill successful nan seashore of nan Gulf of Oman and adjacent nan strategical Strait of Hormuz, successful Jask, Iran connected December 30, 2022. (Iranian Army / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The Somaliland authorities is besides offering retention abstraction for tomahawk missiles, pinch a authorities root saying it’s "a unsocial measurement to beforehand information interests."

Adam added, "U.S. destroyers that expend their rocket batteries successful nan Red Sea require (currently) up to 2 weeks of recreation to beryllium resupplied. Somaliland is fresh to play a applicable domiciled successful helping nan U.S. to unafraid world waste and acquisition routes."

But Somaliland’s connection of allowing usage of its airbase and seaport is not each plain sailing.  Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth P. Ekman, erstwhile AFRICOM/J5 and West Africa coordination constituent lead, told Fox News Digital "a argumentation dilemma presents erstwhile conducting negotiated and subject relations pinch Somaliland directly, alternatively than done nan Federal Government of Somalia and nan SNA (Somali National Army)."

IRAN'S AFRICA ACTIVITIES POSE 'SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY'

People guidelines adjacent to nan Independence Monument, depicting a manus holding a representation of nan country, successful nan metropolis of Hargeisa, Somaliland, connected Sept. 19, 2021. (Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images)

"This aforesaid dilemma presents," Ekman continued. "While we (the U.S.) bask bully entree successful Djibouti, this entree is singular and competes pinch nan Chinese presence.  Additional entree to nan larboard of Berbera, located successful Somaliland, provides redundancy (backup) and a relationally different partner. Frankly, nan U.S. military, on pinch immoderate of our friends and partners, request larboard entree successful Berbera."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., Chairman of nan Senate Subcommittee connected Africa and Global Health, is powerfully advocating for nan U.S. to spell each nan negotiated measurement and admit Somaliland.

Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable chat astatine nan U.S. Capitol connected March 3, 2025 successful Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

He told Fox News Digital successful a connection that "Somaliland promises to beryllium a captious counterterrorism state for nan United States, some because of its beardown willingness to partner pinch america and because of its unsocial location. We should admit nan Republic of Somaliland arsenic an independent authorities and, successful nan meantime, importantly boost our counterterrorism cooperation." 

The U.S. though, appears to beryllium making below-the-radar moves. The Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Gen. Dagvin Anderson, was precocious successful nan state visiting larboard facilities, pinch a delegation, successful November. This week, a Somaliland authorities root told Fox News Digital that U.S. subject delegations travel to nan authorities each 2 months, pinch nan past sojourn successful nan 2nd half of April. 

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets pinch President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, president of Somaliland, successful Hargeisa, Somaliland, Nov. 26, 2025. The gathering was portion of Gen. Anderson’s travel successful East Africa to meet pinch authorities and defense leaders to fortify America’s strategical attack to confronting coercion done communal engagement, stronger cooperation, and aligned information priorities. (U.S. Army photograph by Cpt. Ubon Mendie)

Fitton-Brown told Fox News Digital that, "The U.S. is already utilizing it (Somaliland) for counterterrorism operations. My knowing is that nan U.S. doesn’t person a imperishable subject beingness successful Somaliland, but actively cooperates pinch Somaliland's information forces connected location counterterrorism and maritime information issues."

A erstwhile elder U.S. defense charismatic agreed that American subject specialists person been co-ordinating pinch Somaliland forces since 2023, erstwhile they came together to termination Bilal al-Sudani, reportedly a cardinal provider and financier of nan ISIS world network.

However, nan U.S. aligns publically pinch Somalia, from which Somaliland collapsed distant successful 1991. 

Somalia airstrikes escalate arsenic U.S. forces partner pinch Somali authorities against al-Shabaab. (TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)

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When asked this week about nan U.S. subject narration pinch Somaliland erstwhile it comes to counter-terrorism operations successful nan country, a Pentagon charismatic told Fox News Digital: "The United States maintains its strategical business pinch nan Federal Government of Somalia.

"In bluish Somalia, AFRICOM, alongside nan Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, has conducted airstrikes to degrade ISIS—Somalia's expertise to frighten nan U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad. In confederate Somalia, AFRICOM, besides successful adjacent coordination pinch nan Federal Government of Somalia, has conducted airstrikes to alteration partner forces’ expertise to degrade al Shabaab. Our strategical attack to countering coercion successful Africa relies connected trusted partnerships and collaboration grounded successful and done shared information interests."

Daftari added, "Somaliland is offering nan United States what nan mullahs fearfulness astir successful this theater, namely an alternative, resilient level connected nan African statement that includes an airfield, port, and over‑the‑horizon entree that would dilute Houthi leverage and springiness Washington options that don’t dangle connected Djibouti aliases Persian Gulf partners alone."