参议员泰德·克鲁兹呼吁美国承认索马里兰为关键反恐盟友
2026年5月27日 美国东部时间7:21 / 福克斯新闻
据称，这个非洲小型分离国家索马里兰因存在被美国、以色列和西方大国用作其深水港和空军基地的可能性，而令伊朗“深感威胁”。
此类举动将严重干扰伊朗利用其代理武装——也门胡塞恐怖组织袭击红海航运的计划。
伊朗被指施压胡塞武装重新发动航运袭击，尤其是在红海曼德海峡。自霍尔木兹海峡实际被封锁以来，这条航道已成为石油从中东运往亚洲的主要航线。
索马里兰基地能否成为美国在关键航道对抗伊朗和胡塞武装的立足点？
2026年5月18日，在索马里分离地区索马里兰首都哈尔格萨，一辆索马里兰军用装甲车在庆祝宣布独立日的游行中亮相。今年以色列成为首个正式承认自行宣布独立的东非主权国家索马里兰共和国后，国际社会对索马里兰寻求全球承认的关注度再度上升，此次游行是为纪念1991年从索马里分离出去。（路透社/特约摄影师）
中东与外交政策专家丽莎·达夫塔里对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“伊朗政权对索马里兰所代表的意义深感威胁——这是一个日益亲西方、可能亲以色列的立足点，俯瞰曼德海峡，这将削弱德黑兰通过胡塞武装对红海航运和以色列施加的影响力。”
作为《外交栏》总编辑的达夫塔里称：“这就是为什么伊朗支持的胡塞武装已经明确威胁要袭击索马里兰境内的任何以色列或西方军事存在，并警告称，如果美以冲突升级，他们可能会封锁曼德海峡。”
当被问及美国是否正在考虑与索马里兰建立永久驻军关系时，美国总统特别助理、白宫首席副新闻秘书安娜·凯利对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“美国军方已经实现了‘史诗暴怒行动’设定的所有目标，包括削弱伊朗的代理武装。如今伊朗正遭受经济封锁——这让特朗普总统在继续谈判时掌握了所有主动权。”
一艘油轮停靠在富查伊拉港，美以与伊朗的冲突限制了霍尔木兹海峡的海上交通。（路透社/阿姆鲁·阿尔菲基/档案照片）
国防民主基金会高级研究员埃德蒙·菲顿-布朗对福克斯新闻数字频道表示，索马里兰承认以色列以及去年12月以色列承认索马里兰，显然激怒了伊朗。
曾担任英国驻也门（胡塞武装的母国）大使的菲顿-布朗表示，伊朗“反对任何承认索马里兰的举动，主要是因为以色列是首个承认该国的国家，伊朗会反对以色列所做的任何事情。伊朗也发自内心地反对美国和阿联酋，这两个国家都与索马里兰进行了务实接触，但尚未实现承认。索马里兰是打击胡塞武装行动的潜在基地，也就是说，这对伊朗的抵抗轴心构成了威胁。”
特朗普是否考虑采取大胆的非洲战略以对抗中国、俄罗斯和伊斯兰恐怖分子？
2026年3月1日，在也门萨那，亲伊朗抗议者手持描绘伊朗最高领袖阿里·侯赛尼·哈梅内伊的广告牌、也门和伊朗国旗及武器，高呼口号参加集会，谴责美以对伊朗发动空袭并杀害伊朗最高领袖和多名军方官员。（穆罕默德·哈穆德/盖蒂图片社）
美国已经在红海的吉布提拥有一个大型基地，但菲顿-布朗表示，这一点正日益成为问题：“中国正在大幅扩张其在吉布提的军事和商业存在。人们普遍认为，吉布提对美国来说不是一个可靠的盟友。因此，索马里兰的时代可能已经到来。”
索马里兰也希望如此。其外交部长阿卜杜拉赫曼·达希尔·亚当对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“在霍尔木兹海峡面临压力、红海威胁升级之际，索马里兰重申了其长期以来向美国提供沿海港口使用权的提议。我们在和平时期就明确表达过这一点，今天我们同样明确。”
伊朗士兵于2022年12月30日在伊朗贾斯克的阿曼湾沿岸和战略霍尔木兹海峡附近参加年度军事演习。（伊朗陆军/供图/安纳多卢通讯社通过盖蒂图片社）
索马里兰政府还提议为战斧导弹提供储存空间，一名政府消息人士称这是“推进安全利益的独特方式”。
亚当补充道：“目前，在红海耗尽导弹弹药库的美国驱逐舰需要长达两周的航程才能完成补给。索马里兰随时准备发挥实际作用，帮助美国保障全球贸易航线的安全。”
但索马里兰提供空军基地和港口使用权的提议并非一帆风顺。退役肯尼斯·P·埃克曼少将，前非洲司令部J5主任兼西非协调部门负责人，对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“直接与索马里兰开展外交和军事关系，而非通过索马里联邦政府和索马里国民军，会带来政策困境。”
伊朗在非洲的活动对美国国家安全构成“重大威胁”
2021年9月19日，人们站在索马里兰哈尔格萨市的独立纪念碑旁，纪念碑上刻着一只手握着该国地图。（爱德华多·索特拉斯/法新社通过盖蒂图片社）
“同样的困境依然存在，”埃克曼继续说道。“虽然我们（美国）在吉布提享有良好的通行权，但这种通行权是单一的，且与中国的存在形成竞争。额外获得位于索马里兰的柏培拉港的使用权，能提供冗余（备份）选择，并且拥有一个关系性质不同的合作伙伴。坦率地说，美国军方以及我们的一些盟友和伙伴，都需要进入柏培拉港。”
参议院非洲与全球健康小组委员会主席、德克萨斯州共和党参议员泰德·克鲁兹强烈呼吁美国彻底完成外交程序，承认索马里兰。
2025年3月3日，参议员泰德·克鲁兹在华盛顿特区美国国会山举行的圆桌讨论会上发言。（凯·巴特科夫斯基/盖蒂图片社）
他在一份声明中对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“索马里兰有望成为美国至关重要的反恐盟友，这既是因为它与我们合作的强烈意愿，也是因为其独特的地理位置。我们应该承认索马里兰共和国为独立国家，同时大幅加强我们的反恐合作。”
不过，美国似乎正在进行低调的行动。美国非洲司令部（AFRICOM）指挥官达文·安德森将军最近于11月率领代表团访问了该国的港口设施。本周，一名索马里兰政府消息人士对福克斯新闻数字频道表示，美国军事代表团每两个月就会访问该国一次，最近一次访问是在4月下旬。
2025年11月26日，美国非洲司令部（AFRICOM）司令达文·安德森空军上将在索马里兰哈尔格萨会见索马里兰总统阿卜杜拉赫曼·穆罕默德·阿卜杜拉希。此次会面是安德森将军东非之行的一部分，旨在与各国政府和国防领导人会面，通过相互接触、加强合作和协调一致的安全优先事项，强化美国应对恐怖主义的战略方针。（美国陆军照片，上尉乌邦·门迪）
菲顿-布朗对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“美国已经在利用索马里兰开展反恐行动。据我所知，美国在索马里兰没有永久军事存在，但在区域反恐和海上安全问题上，与索马里兰安全部队保持着积极合作。”
一名前美国高级国防官员也表示，自2023年以来，美国军事专家一直在与索马里兰部队合作，当时他们联手击毙了据称是全球伊斯兰国网络的关键协调者和资助者比拉尔·苏达尼。
不过，美国在公开场合仍与1991年脱离索马里的索马里兰保持一致。
美国部队与索马里当局合作打击青年党，索马里空袭行动升级。（托尼·卡鲁巴/法新社通过盖蒂图片社）
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当本周被问及美国在该国反恐行动中与索马里兰的军事关系时，一名五角大楼官员对福克斯新闻数字频道表示：“美国维持与索马里联邦政府的战略伙伴关系。
在索马里北部，非洲司令部与索马里联邦政府和索马里武装部队一同开展空袭，以削弱索马里伊斯兰国威胁美国本土、我们的部队以及海外公民的能力。在索马里南部，非洲司令部也在与索马里联邦政府密切协调下开展空袭，以协助伙伴部队削弱青年党。我们在非洲打击恐怖主义的战略方针，依赖于基于共同安全利益建立的信任伙伴关系与合作。”
达夫塔里补充道：“索马里兰正在向美国提供伊朗政权在该地区最忌惮的东西，即非洲海岸上一个替代、韧性更强的平台，包括机场、港口和超视距接入能力，这将削弱胡塞武装的影响力，并让华盛顿拥有不单纯依赖吉布提或波斯湾伙伴的选择。”
保罗·蒂尔斯利是一名资深记者，三十多年来在四大洲进行报道。他常驻南非约翰内斯堡，可在X平台关注他：@paultilsley
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Iran and Houthi terror proxy facing Red Sea threat from pro-US African nation
Sen Ted Cruz advocates for US recognition of Somaliland as a critical counterterrorism ally
May 27, 2026 7:21am EDT / Fox News
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.”
Paul Tilsley is a veteran correspondent who has reported from four continents for more than three decades. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, he can be followed on X @paultilsley.
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