U.S. Seeks to Pressure Houthis to Stop Red Sea Ship Attacks

The United States is looking to reduce financing options for the Houthi rebels in Yemen to get them to stop attacking commercial ships, including tankers, in the Red Sea, sources told Bloomberg on Thursday.

The U.S. has recently signaled to its allies, including Saudi Arabia, that it wouldn’t endorse a UN-led plan to end the conflict in Yemen unless the Houthis, backed by Iran, cease the campaign to strike merchant vessels in and around the Red Sea, said Bloomberg’s sources who had recently met with U.S. officials.

While the United States supports peace efforts in Yemen, where the war has been raging for nearly a decade now, it is seeking to pressure the Houthis to halt the maritime attacks, which have upended trade routes as many operators continue to avoid the Suez Canal/Red Sea route between Europe and Asia.

However, the U.S. insistence on pressuring the Houthis could derail the truce in conflict-torn Yemen that has been in place for two years, Bloomberg notes.  

The U.S. has been looking to deter the Houthis from attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and has carried out many strikes against Houthi missiles and drones in areas in Yemen controlled by the Iran-aligned group.

Last week, the Houthis expanded their reach and hit six vessels in three seas, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Prior to this, the Houthis had not managed to reach as far as the Mediterranean, which is a rather troubling development for the West.

The attacks came only days after a Houthi spokesman warned of a new campaign targeting vessels heading to Israel from the Mediterranean.

The Houthis have also threatened to broaden attacks further in the Indian Ocean. This coincides with a meeting between Pentagon officials and their Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) counterparts to drum up more support for U.S.-led efforts to cripple the Houthi campaign of attacking commercial vessels.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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