The U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, posited that since late 2017, "Iran's support of the Huthi militants has deepened". Showcasing various Iranian weapons purportedly intended for or provided to the Huthis, he argued that "Iran has been funding, arming and training the Huthis, which has allowed them to continue to fight well beyond what would have made any sense at all". "We must be careful not to affirm Iran's role as a legitimate political actor in Yemen", Hook added. "We cannot watch a new version of Lebanese Hizbollah slowly emerge in the Arabian Peninsula... give Iran a free hand in Yemen and it can threaten to close both straits [i.e. Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab] and commit acts of maritime aggression with impunity".