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Iran and Houthi terror proxy facing Red Sea threat from pro-US African nation
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Iran is said to be ‘deeply threatened’ by the small African breakaway state, Somaliland, because of the potential for U.S., Israeli and Western powers to use its deep water port and airbase.
Such moves would severely disrupt Iran’s plan to use their proxy, Yemen’s Houthi terror group, to attack Red Sea shipping.
Iran has been accused of pressuring the Houthis to renew their strikes on shipping, particularly in the Red Sea’s Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway has become the main route for oil to ship out of the Middle East to Asia since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.
COULD SOMALILAND BASE EMERGE AS US FOOTHOLD AGAINST IRAN, HOUTHIS IN KEY SEA LANES?
A Somaliland military armed vehicle takes part in a parade during the self-declared Independence Day, with celebrations commemorating their 1991 breakaway from Somalia, amid renewed focus on Somaliland’s push for global recognition after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the self‑declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state in East Africa, in Hargeisa, the capital of Somalia’s breakaway territory of Somaliland, May 18, 2026. (Reuters/Stringer)
Lisa Daftari, a Middle East and foreign policy expert, told Fox News Digital, «Iran’s regime is deeply threatened by what Somaliland represents in an emerging pro‑Western, potentially pro‑Israel foothold overlooking the Bab el‑Mandeb, that could blunt Tehran’s leverage via the Houthis over Red Sea shipping and Israel.»
Daftari, the editor‑in‑chief of The Foreign Desk, said, «that’s why Iran‑backed Houthis are already explicitly threatening to strike any Israeli or Western military presence in Somaliland and warning they could move to choke the Bab el‑Mandeb if the conflict with the U.S. and Israel escalates.»
The White House has said that Iran’s proxies, such as the Houthis, have been weakened. «The United States Military achieved all of the goals laid out for Operation Epic Fury – including weakening Iran’s proxies. Now, Iran is being strangled economically – giving President Trump all the cards as negotiations continue,» Anna Kelly, special assistant to the President and White House principal deputy press secretary told Fox News Digital when asked if the U.S. was considering a full-time-basing relationship with Somaliland.
A tanker sits at the Port of Fujairah, as the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran limits marine traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. (REUTERS / Amr Alfiky / File Photo)
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) told Fox News Digital that Somaliland’s recognition of Israel and Israel’s recognition of it last December has clearly irked Iran.
Fitton-Brown, who is a former U.K. ambassador to Yemen — the Houthis home country, said Iran «opposes any recognition of it (Somaliland) primarily because Israel is the first state to recognize it, and Iran will oppose anything that Israel does. Iran is also viscerally opposed to the U.S. and UAE, both of which have pragmatic engagement with Somaliland, short of recognition. Somaliland is a potential base for anti-Houthi enforcement, i.e. a threat 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 as they take part in a rally held to condemn the US-Israel aerial attacks on Iran and killing the Iranian supreme leader and several military officials on March 1, 2026 in Sana’a, Yemen. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
The U.S. already has a large base on the Red Sea in Djibouti, but Fitton-Brown says this is increasingly problematical «China is significantly expanding its military and commercial presence in Djibouti. There is a sense that Djibouti is not a reliable ally for the U.S. So Somaliland’s time has probably come.»
And Somaliland hopes so. Its Foreign Minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adam, told Fox News Digital «At a time when the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure and threats to the Red Sea are escalating, Somaliland has reiterated its longstanding offer to provide the United States with access along our coast. We have been clear about this in times of peace, and we are equally clear today.»
Iranian soldiers take part in an annual military drill in the coast of the Gulf of Oman and near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, in Jask, Iran on December 30, 2022. (Iranian Army / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Somaliland government is also offering storage space for tomahawk missiles, with a government source saying it’s «a unique way to advance security interests.»
Adam added, «U.S. destroyers that expend their missile batteries in the Red Sea require (currently) up to two weeks of travel to be resupplied. Somaliland is ready to play a practical role in helping the U.S. to secure global trade routes.»
But Somaliland’s offer of allowing use of its airbase and seaport is not all plain sailing. Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth P. Ekman, former AFRICOM/J5 and West Africa coordination element lead, told Fox News Digital «a policy dilemma presents when conducting diplomatic and military relations with Somaliland directly, rather than through the Federal Government of Somalia and the SNA (Somali National Army).»
IRAN’S AFRICA ACTIVITIES POSE ‘SIGNIFICANT THREATS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY’
People stand next to the Independence Monument, depicting a hand holding a map of the country, in the city of Hargeisa, Somaliland, on Sept. 19, 2021. (Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images)
«This same dilemma presents,» Ekman continued. «While we (the U.S.) enjoy good access in Djibouti, this access is singular and competes with the Chinese presence. Additional access to the port of Berbera, located in Somaliland, provides redundancy (backup) and a relationally different partner. Frankly, the U.S. military, along with some of our allies and partners, need port access in Berbera.»
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, is strongly advocating for the U.S. to go all the diplomatic way and recognize Somaliland.
Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
He told Fox News Digital in a statement that «Somaliland promises to be a critical counterterrorism ally for the United States, both because of its strong willingness to partner with us and because of its unique location. We should recognize the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state and, in the meantime, significantly boost our counterterrorism cooperation.»
The U.S. though, appears to be making below-the-radar moves. The Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Gen. Dagvin Anderson, was recently in the country visiting port facilities, with a delegation, in November. This week, a Somaliland government source told Fox News Digital that U.S. military delegations come to the state every two months, with the last visit in the second half of April.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), meets with President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, president of Somaliland, in Hargeisa, Somaliland, Nov. 26, 2025. The meeting was part of Gen. Anderson’s trip in East Africa to meet with government and defense leaders to strengthen America’s strategic approach to confronting terrorism through mutual engagement, stronger cooperation, and aligned security priorities. (U.S. Army photo by Cpt. Ubon Mendie)
Fitton-Brown told Fox News Digital that, «The U.S. is already using it (Somaliland) for counterterrorism operations. My understanding is that the U.S. doesn’t have a permanent military presence in Somaliland, but actively cooperates with Somaliland’s security forces on regional counterterrorism and maritime security issues.»
A former senior U.S. defense official agreed that American military specialists have been co-ordinating with Somaliland forces since 2023, when they came together to kill Bilal al-Sudani, reportedly a key facilitator and financier of the ISIS global network.
However, the U.S. aligns publicly with Somalia, from which Somaliland broke away in 1991.
Somalia airstrikes escalate as U.S. forces partner with Somali authorities against al-Shabaab. (TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)
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When asked this week about the U.S. military relationship with Somaliland when it comes to counter-terrorism operations in the country, a Pentagon official told Fox News Digital: «The United States maintains its strategic partnership with the Federal Government of Somalia.
«In northern Somalia, AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, has conducted airstrikes to degrade ISIS—Somalia’s ability to threaten the U.S. Homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad. In southern Somalia, AFRICOM, also in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, has conducted airstrikes to enable partner forces’ ability to degrade al Shabaab. Our strategic approach to countering terrorism in Africa relies on trusted partnerships and collaboration grounded in and through shared security interests.»
Daftari added, «Somaliland is offering the United States what the mullahs fear most in this theater, namely an alternative, resilient platform on the African shore that includes an airfield, port, and over‑the‑horizon access that would dilute Houthi leverage and give Washington options that don’t depend on Djibouti or Persian Gulf partners alone.»
war with iran, middle east, counter terrorism, israel, ted cruz, national security, africa
INTERNACIONAL
Paula Klein, Premio Lumen de Novela: “¿Hasta qué punto conocemos a la persona con la que compartimos nuestra vida?”
El amor inventado es el título de la obra ganadora del Premio Lumen de Novela. Su autora es argentina y se llama Paula Klein. Su nombre se develó hace apenas unas horas. El jurado leyó en esta novela una indagación sobre la mentira en la vida íntima y en el periodismo, dos territorios que la autora decidió poner en fricción desde una misma pregunta: “¿Hasta qué punto conocemos a la persona con la que compartimos nuestra vida?”, dijo en diálogo con la prensa, como un interrogante abierto e interpelador.
La novela ganadora obtuvo una dotación de 30 mil euros y su publicación en todo el ámbito hispanohablante. Entre 683 manuscritos, una cifra récord para el premio, la obra fue elegida por mayoría y la organización informó además que la recepción de originales se duplicó en países como España, Argentina y Uruguay. Klein, que reside en Francia, viajó a España para conversar con los integrantes del jurado y la prensa.
Klein reveló que investigó casos reales de periodistas que falsificaron reportajes y también redes de mujeres estafadas para construir la novela. La tensión central del libro, según sus propias palabras, está en pensar la mentira en la prensa, porque en el periodismo “hay un pacto de confianza con el lector que no puedes romper” y, si eso ocurre, “hay una construcción democrática que se derrumba”.
Klein afirmó que el personaje masculino nació de una investigación sobre “periodistas que habían falseado, ficcionalizado incluso reportajes enteros”. Mencionó durante la rueda de prensa nombres como Jayson Blair, Janet Cooke, Oriana Fallaci y el “falso Tom Kummer” como parte del material que la ayudó a pensar cómo se construyen trayectorias públicas sostenidas durante años sobre una identidad adulterada. Aun así, marcó un límite: “Es una novela que no está basada en hechos reales”.
El centro de su interés no fue reproducir un caso puntual, sino explorar a personas enamoradas que “no paran de mentirse”, tanto entre sí como frente a su hija, sus padres, su entorno y la sociedad. “En la prensa no podés mentir”, dijo ante la pregunta por las fake news. Añadió que la no ficción y la ficción no pueden confundirse porque, si esa división se vuelve borrosa, “ya no sabemos dónde estamos parados”.
La autora sostuvo además que eligió a un periodista como figura central porque trabaja como académica sobre periodismo de investigación y le interesaba pensar un mundo de “hechos alternativos”. En ese marco, describió un tipo de personaje al que vinculó con figuras de poder contemporáneas: “el contador de mierda profesional”, alguien que mezcla medias verdades hasta volver indistinguible lo verdadero de lo falso.
“La mentira en el periodismo es algo grave. Deberíamos tener ese consenso”, sostuvo. “Que pase lo que pase con los casos particulares, cómo se consume nos dice mucho de cómo somos como sociedad, qué relación tenemos nosotros con los relatos que nos contamos”, dijo agregó: “Me fascinan los casos en los que no solo no hay castigo, sino que además parecen ser premiadas esas personas que mienten. Pasa mucho con los impostores: lograron darle la vuelta al sistema. Y nuestra sociedad pareciera aplaudir”.
“En ningún momento quise hacer ni una crítica ni un elogio de la mentira, sino realmente meterme en el fondo de estas cuestiones. Me parece que es una novela que no da respuestas, pero sí confronta un montón de situaciones posibles y a un montón de tratamientos que la mentira genera, tanto en mujeres engañadas, en víctimas, en bullshitters. Pero no me interesa plantear un juicio moral, porque la ficción está ahí justamente para sacudirnos. La ficción también es oxígeno”, aseguró.
La otra mitad del libro, según la propia escritora, está en el matrimonio. “El amor verdadero puede convivir con el desconocimiento total de la persona que tenemos enfrente”, dijo al resumir la sospecha que organiza la novela. “Tengo la íntima convicción de que los matrimonios que duran o esas parejas que mejor resisten en el tiempo son los que se vuelven muy hábiles en el secreto, en la omisión, en la mentira noble, como decía Voltaire, esas mentiras que decimos para no lastimar al otro”, arremetió.
“Me parece muy interesante que todas esas relaciones afectivas estén atravesadas por la mentira, pero la mentira como algo incluso hasta noble, positivo, virtuoso, que siempre va a terminar haciendo mal a la larga. Partí de esa íntima convicción: que las parejas que duran están atravesadas por el secreto, que son quienes saben mantener y omitir, los prestidigitadores del secreto”, dijo. “Los escritores y los artistas parecemos ser los únicos que tenemos la mentira autorizada por la vía de la ficción”, agregó.
“Con ese storytelling y esa invención estás ficcionalizando y embelleciendo, pero también le damos otra paleta al mundo que nos rodea: nos permitimos ver las cosas de otra manera. La mentira, al menos como la exploro dentro de las relaciones sociales, es como un ámbito de libertad. También es un estadio en la evolución de los niños”, dijo y concluyó: “Los que trabajamos con la ficción tenemos ese placer suplementario: todavía podemos seguir jugando por la vía de la ficción”.
Paula Klein es una escritora, investigadora y docente universitaria argentina nacida en Buenos Aires en 1986. Es licenciada en Letras por la Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), magíster por la École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (París) y doctora en Literatura Comparada por la Universidad de Poitiers.
Vive en Francia desde el año 2012. Escribió La luz de una estrella muerta (2021, su primera novela, centrada en el artista plástico argentino Alberto Greco) y Las brujas de Monte Verità (2023, novela histórica en la Suiza a comienzos del siglo XX).
El Premio Lumen de Novela es otorgado por la editorial española Lumen, perteneciente al grupo Penguin Random House, a una novela inédita escrita en idioma español por una autora mujer. Existió entre 1994 y 1999 y se reactivó en 2023, cuando lo ganó Leticia Martin. Siguieron Natalia Litvinova en 2024 y Inma Pelegrín en 2025. En esta edición, se incluyó una mención finalista para Estado de distancia de Belén López Peiró.
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Senate Republicans narrowly halted another attempt to handcuff President Donald Trump’s war authority in Iran as a peace deal begins to take shape.
The latest failed war-powers resolution, this time from Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., comes after Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with the Iranian government that could lead to an end to the war. While Congress is still in the dark on the details of the deal, Republicans still stood behind the president Tuesday.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has led the Democrats’ war powers efforts for the last several months, argued that while a possible deal was a good thing, it appeared the U.S. and Iran would be headed to an «intermission» in fighting as both sides hammered out the final details of a longer peace deal.
TRUMP’S IRAN DEAL SPARKS GOP DEMANDS FOR VOTE AS CONGRESS REMAINS IN THE DARK
President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a bilateral meeting with the United Arab Emirates’ president at the G7 summit in Evian, France, on June 16, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
«An intermission is a great time to do what we should have done before this war, which is have the consultation with Congress that the Constitution requires,» Kaine said. «Why restart a war if we haven’t done our job?»
Still, Warnock’s resolution failed despite a previous effort advancing in the Senate last month when a cohort of Senate Republicans joined nearly all Senate Democrats to rebuke the war. That same group, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Bill Cassidy, R-La., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined all Democrats to vote for the resolution.
But absences on both sides of the aisle helped the GOP in their effort to give Trump more runway to hammer out a deal to end the war.
TRUMP’S PUSH FOR $350 BILLION ‘ARSENAL OF FREEDOM’ HITS GOP SKEPTICISM
Senate Foreign Relations Chair James Risch, R-Idaho, argued that Democrats were effectively trying to «help Iran» with Democrats’ war powers efforts, and he countered that if the resolution passed, Iran would back out of any forthcoming peace deal.
«If a miracle happened, a miracle happened, and this passed, got through the Senate, got through the House, and the president signed it — if that miracle happened, do you think Iran would sign the deal that has been negotiated? Of course not,» Risch said.
DEMS SCORE WIN AS GOP SENATOR HELPS ADVANCE IRAN WAR POWERS RESOLUTION
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a Senate Republicans press conference at the U.S. Capitol on June 2, 2026, flanked by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W. Va. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)
Meanwhile, Congress is still waiting for details of the deal, which as of Tuesday, had yet to materialize publicly or behind closed doors in the upper chamber.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he still had not been briefed on the matter. When asked if it was normal for Thune and others to request these kinds of briefings from the administration, Thune said, «Since I’ve been in this job, we haven’t had this issue, so I don’t know the answer to that.»
«My assumption is that it’s a function of, at some point, they understand they’re going to have to, I think they’ve intimated as much, that they’ve got to get this in front of us,» he said. «And hopefully, that’ll happen sooner rather than later. But you know, obviously it sounds like they’re not going public with it until later in the week, so we’ll see.»
Some Democrats, on the other hand, are contending that early reports of the deal appear to favor Iran more than the U.S.
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Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said, «It’s essentially a surrender.»
«But I think that’s the only play we can make at this point. We have to end this war, stop wasting money, stop killing Americans and civilians, stop driving a crisis,» Murphy said. »So, it’s a bad deal, but he’s not gonna get a better deal. So, we just have to accept the humiliation.»
politics, war with iran, republicans, iran, democrats senate, donald trump
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