Iranian ship ignores distress call from ship struck by Houthis "This continued malign and reckless behavior by the #Iranian-backed #Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," said U.S. Central Command. There are Good Samaritans, and then, as the Iranian warship IRIN Jamaran demonstrated on Saturday, there are Bad Samaritans. The Iranian frigate was some eight nautical miles from the M/V Verbena—a Ukrainian-owned and Polish-operated cargo carrier flagged in Palau—that was struck with two missiles by Iran-backed Houthi terrorists on June 13. On Saturday, the crew issued a distress call and said it was abandoning ship. “M/V Anna Meta responded to render assistance. Anna Meta has recovered the mariners and is transporting them to safety. The crew abandoned ship due to continued fires and an inability to control them,” stated U.S. Central Command. “The Iranian frigate IRIN Jamaran was eight nautical miles from M/V Verbena and did not respond to the distress call,” CENTCOM said. “This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.” “CENTCOM will continue to act with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and degrade their military capabilities,” it added. “The Islamic Republic of Iran and its terrorist proxies in Yemen, the Houthis, are literally pirates,” wrote Israel Nitzan, former acting consul general of Israel in New York. “They pose a threat to international commerce, peace and security. They must be stopped.”