By Al-Fassel | 2024-01-04

WASHINGTON -- A coalition of nations led by the United States on Wednesday (January 3) jointly warned the Iran-backed Houthis to immediately halt their attacks against commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.

The joint statement, released by the White House, referenced the broad consensus as expressed by 44 countries on December 19, and the United Nations (UN) Security Council on December 1, condemning Houthi attacks against commercial vessels.

It noted "a significant escalation over the past week targeting commercial vessels, with missiles, small boats, and attempted hijackings."

"Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing," it said. "There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels."

Attacks on vessels using drones, small boats and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles, "are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade," it said.

"These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action."

"Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews," it said.

"The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."

'Very clear message'

A senior US official called the message "very clear."

"I would not anticipate another warning. I think this statement speaks for itself," the official said.

The official said the Houthi missiles were "very clearly coming from Iran."

Wednesday's joint statement was initially signed by the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Just after the statement was released, Singapore came on board, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said during a Wednesday briefing.

US President Joe Biden consulted with his national security team on New Year's Day to "discuss options" over the Houthi attacks, the US official said.

Britain -- a close US ally on security issues -- has issued its own warning of "direct action," with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying that the Houthis "must end their deadly and destabilizing attacks on vessels," AFP reported.

"The UK will always take action to defend freedom of navigation," he wrote on X.

"The United States remains focused on working with a range of partners to help Israel defend itself, to surge humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and, of course, to defend our national security interests in the region," Kirby said.

"That most certainly includes protecting the free flow of international commerce in the Red Sea," he said. "To accomplish these goals, we have established and will continue to maintain a significant force presence in the Middle East."

'Significant force presence'

"This includes an aircraft carrier strike group, centered around the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, with its embarked air wing of some 80 aircraft, as well as an amphibious ready group, with its embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit."

"That amphibious ready group, led by the assault ship USS Bataan, was moved into the Eastern Mediterranean in recent days, coinciding with the departure of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford," Kirby said.

"Now, between the Bataan and the two other ships of her group, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall, this consolidates in that part of the Mediterranean more than 4,000 sailors and marines and more than 50 aircraft."

The sea-based amphibious ready group is capable of a wide range of operations and remains a highly flexible option when it comes to the potential use of force, Kirby added.

These ships are augmented by three land-based squadrons of fighter and attack aircraft and additional highly capable warships at sea, he said, including a number of destroyers that are specifically designed for ballistic missile defense.

"Some of those warships are operating in the Red Sea, where they -- alongside the ships, aircraft, and capabilities of more than 20 other nations -- continue to counter Houthi attacks on civilian maritime shipping," Kirby said.

These offer an "impressive air and missile defense capability, as well as robust intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, not to mention offensive and defensive military power," he added.

The United States does not seek conflict with any nation or actor in the Middle East, he said, "nor do we want to see the war between Israel and Hamas widen."

"But neither will we shrink from the task of defending ourselves, our interests, our partners, or the free flow of international commerce," he said.

Companies reroute vessels

At a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, the UN's maritime agency said that 18 shipping companies were re-routing vessels around Africa to avoid the Red Sea due to the upsurge in attacks.

Going around Africa instead of through the Suez Canal means an additional 10 days of travel, International Maritime Organization (IMO) chief Arsenio Dominguez said.

The Houthis on Wednesday announced the latest of their more than 20 recent attacks, saying they attacked a Malta-flagged freighter. The ship was not hit.

After the latest attack, French operator CMA CGM announced a big hike in prices, with a 40-foot container between Asia and the western Mediterranean doubling from $3,000 to $6,000.

Italian-Swiss company MSC also has raised prices as ships are diverted around southern Africa rather than traverse the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal.

Maersk on Tuesday extended a suspension of services through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, "until further notice."