Last month the USA sent a guided-missile cruiser towards the Arabian Sea to block a convoy of eight Iranian ships believed to be carrying arms for the rebel Houthis in Yemen (many believe Houthis receive arms from Iran). Prayer-Alert readers prayed for vital shipping lanes in the region to remain open and safe. Today an Iranian aid ship, the Shahed, heading for Yemen, is due to enter the Bab al-Mandeb strait linking the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. The Shahed is carrying aid and foreign activists to the port of Hodaida. Saudi Arabia is worried about the increasing influence of Iran in the Middle East. Iran wields great influence in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq with the help of proxies such as Hezbollah. On Tuesday the Times of Israel reported, ‘Defying US objections, two Iranian warships joined an Iranian cargo ship carrying supplies to Yemen.’ See also