WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that the US could establish a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea, a day after three ships were hit by missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US has had active discussions with allies about setting up the escorts, although nothing has been finalized, describing it as a “natural” response to those types of incidents.
On Sunday, ballistic missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships, while a US warship shot down three drones in self-defense in an hours-long attack, the US military said. It marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Middle East linked to the war between Israel and Hamas.
“We are in discussions with other countries about some type of maritime task force that would involve partner nation ships alongside the United States in ensuring safe passage,” Sullivan told reporters. He noted that similar task forces are being used to protect commercial shipping elsewhere, including off the coast of Somalia.
The Houthi attacks are endangering traffic on one of the world's most vital shipping lanes and thus global trade in general. The US Energy Information Administration says 8.8 million barrels of oil per day are shipped through the Red Sea and the narrow Bab al-Mandab Strait within reach of the Houthis, making it one of the most crucial chokepoints in global trade . The ships transport oil and natural gas from the Gulf to Europe, the United States and China.
The Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are also part of a vital route for commercial shipping in general, which carries millions of tons of agricultural products and other goods to markets every year.
Sullivan said that while the Houthis “had their finger on the trigger,” the group's Iranian sponsors were ultimately responsible.
“The weapons here are supplied by Iran,” Sullivan said. “Iran, in our view, is the ultimate party responsible for this.”
Sullivan said the US does not believe all three ships hit by the Houthis had ties to Israel, saying: “It shows how recklessly the Houthis are operating.”
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AP writers Jon Gambrell and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed reporting.
