The internationally recognized Yemeni government has issued a stark warning that Iran is relocating parts of its military industrial program to areas under the control of the Houthi militia in northern Yemen, raising alarms over regional security and maritime safety.

In a statement released Thursday, Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said recent missile strikes by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed operational similarities with Houthi attacks, exposing what he described as a “direct Iranian role” in managing military operations from within Yemen.

Al-Eryani noted that the ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as well as suicide drones used by the IRGC, mirror the weaponry deployed by the Houthis since late 2023 in attacks on neighboring countries and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and Gulf of Aden.

He warned that Iran appears to be establishing missile and drone production facilities in the provinces of Saada, Hajjah, and rural areas around Sana’a, following increased international pressure on its domestic weapons programs and recent strikes on Iranian infrastructure.

The minister called on the international community to take the threat seriously, cautioning that Iran’s actions could turn Yemen into a forward operating base for prohibited weapons programs, jeopardizing regional stability and obstructing any prospects for a political resolution.

Al-Eryani urged a shift from a policy of containment to one of firm confrontation against what he described as “compound threats” posed by Iran and its regional proxies, particularly the Houthis.