Iran denied Israeli claims that it was involved in the seizure of a British-owned and Japanese-operated cargo ship in the southern Red Sea by Yemen’s Houthis, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said at a press conference, Reuters reports.

“We have said multiple times that resistance groups in the region act independently and spontaneously based on their interests and that of their people,” Kanaani said, adding that Israeli claims were aimed at diverting attention away from Israeli’s “irreparable defeat” in its battle against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.