Iranian authorities have broadly denied directing the Houthis, despite US media reports alleging the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) helped direct recent offensives that solidified Houthi control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the port city of Mocha. Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian rejected a connection between Iran and Houthi actions during an interview with Al Jazeera, urging Saudi Arabia and the Houthis to negotiate an end to the war. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this month also rejected a charge by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the Houthis are a proxy of Iran.