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

Iran is said to beryllium ‘deeply threatened’ by the tiny African breakaway state, Somaliland, due to the fact that of the imaginable for U.S., Israeli and Western powers to usage its heavy h2o larboard and airbase.

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

Iran has been accused of pressuring the Houthis to renew their strikes on shipping, peculiarly successful the Red Sea’s Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway has go the main way for lipid to vessel retired of the Middle East to Asia since the 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 the self-declared Independence Day, with celebrations commemorating their 1991 breakaway from Somalia, amid renewed absorption connected Somaliland's propulsion for planetary designation aft Israel became the archetypal state to formally admit the self‑declared Republic of Somaliland arsenic an autarkic and sovereign authorities successful East Africa, successful Hargeisa, the 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 the Bab el‑Mandeb, that could blunt Tehran’s leverage via the Houthis implicit Red Sea shipping and Israel."

Daftari, the editor‑in‑chief of The Foreign Desk, said, "that’s wherefore Iran‑backed Houthis are already explicitly threatening to onslaught immoderate Israeli oregon Western subject beingness successful Somaliland and informing they could determination to choke the Bab el‑Mandeb if the struggle with the U.S. and Israel escalates." 

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

A tanker sits astatine the Port of Fujairah, arsenic the U.S.-Israel struggle with Iran limits marine postulation successful the 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 designation of Israel and Israel’s designation of it past December has intelligibly irked Iran.

Fitton-Brown, who is simply a erstwhile U.K. ambassador to Yemen — the Houthis location country, said Iran "opposes immoderate designation of it (Somaliland) chiefly due to the fact that Israel is the archetypal authorities to admit it, and Iran volition reason thing that Israel does. Iran is besides viscerally opposed to the U.S. and UAE, some of which person pragmatic engagement with Somaliland, abbreviated of recognition. Somaliland is simply a imaginable basal for anti-Houthi enforcement, i.e. a menace to the Iranian Axis of Resistance."

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

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

The U.S. already has a ample basal connected the 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 the 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 the Strait of Hormuz is nether unit and threats to the Red Sea are escalating, Somaliland has reiterated its longstanding connection to supply the United States with entree on our coast. We person been wide astir this successful times of peace, and we are arsenic wide today."

Iranian soldiers instrumentality portion successful an yearly subject drill successful the seashore of the Gulf of Oman and adjacent the 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, with a authorities root saying it’s "a unsocial mode to beforehand information interests."

Adam added, "U.S. destroyers that expend their rocket batteries successful the Red Sea necessitate (currently) up to 2 weeks of question to beryllium resupplied. Somaliland is acceptable to play a applicable relation successful helping the U.S. to unafraid planetary commercialized 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 diplomatic and subject relations with Somaliland directly, alternatively than done the Federal Government of Somalia and the SNA (Somali National Army)."

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

People basal adjacent to the Independence Monument, depicting a manus holding a representation of the country, successful the 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 with the Chinese presence.  Additional entree to the larboard of Berbera, located successful Somaliland, provides redundancy (backup) and a relationally antithetic partner. Frankly, the U.S. military, on with immoderate of our allies and partners, request larboard entree successful Berbera."

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

Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable treatment astatine the 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 the United States, some due to the fact that of its beardown willingness to spouse with america and due to the fact that of its unsocial location. We should admit the Republic of Somaliland arsenic an autarkic authorities and, successful the 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 the state visiting larboard facilities, with a delegation, successful November. This week, a Somaliland authorities root told Fox News Digital that U.S. subject delegations travel to the authorities each 2 months, with the past sojourn successful the 2nd fractional of April. 

U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with 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 conscionable with authorities and defence 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 the U.S. doesn’t person a imperishable subject beingness successful Somaliland, but actively cooperates with Somaliland's information forces connected determination counterterrorism and maritime information issues."

A erstwhile elder U.S. defence authoritative agreed that American subject specialists person been co-ordinating with Somaliland forces since 2023, erstwhile they came unneurotic to termination Bilal al-Sudani, reportedly a cardinal facilitator and financier of the ISIS planetary network.

However, the U.S. aligns publically with Somalia, from which Somaliland broke distant successful 1991. 

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

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

"In bluish Somalia, AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, has conducted airstrikes to degrade ISIS—Somalia's quality to endanger the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad. In confederate Somalia, AFRICOM, besides successful adjacent coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, has conducted airstrikes to alteration spouse forces’ quality 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 the United States what the mullahs fearfulness astir successful this theater, namely an alternative, resilient level connected the African enactment that includes an airfield, port, and over‑the‑horizon entree that would dilute Houthi leverage and springiness Washington options that don’t beryllium connected Djibouti oregon Persian Gulf partners alone."