However, as the Intercept confirmed directly with Pentagon spokesperson Christopher Sherwood, the attack in question actually took place on a Saudi warship, and the suspected perpetrators of the attack are the Houthi rebels currently leading an insurrection in Yemen, not Iran.
But Iran is allegedly backing the Houthi rebels in Yemen. So surely, any attack committed by those rebels against the U.S. or its allies can be deemed and [an] Iranian assault by way of proxy, right? Not according to the U.N. experts, who presented a report to the U.N. Security Council just this past weekend. It stated:
"The panel has not seen sufficient evidence to confirm any direct large-scale supply of arms from the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, although there are indicators that anti-tank guided weapons being supplied to the Houthi or Saleh forces are of Iranian manufacture."[emphasis added]
Comment: Pentagon spokesman Christopher Sherwood confirmed to The Intercept that the attack was in fact conducted against a Saudi warship, and that the Pentagon suspects Houthi rebels. "It was a Saudi ship - it was actually a frigate" said Sherwood. "It was [conducted by] suspected Houthi rebels off the coast of Yemen."
Fox News initially misreported that a U.S. ship was somehow the target — which is perhaps where some of the confusion in the White House originated.
Comment: The WH cannot afford to be careless. It has to pre-empt all mistakes when it comes to accusing another country of waring activities with verified facts!