Cartoon by Reza Aghili

US Positioning More Warships To Counter Iran-backed Houthis

Iran International: New naval movements in the Middle East point to a possible US strike against the Iran-backed Houthis, as the group keeps on targeting vessels in the Red Sea.

Reports emerged Saturday that the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has moved from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Yemen where the Houthis operate. The move could also be a measure of deterrence against the Houthis who have crippled international shipping with their daily attacks against commercial vessels.

The Biden administration has so far refused to strike back at Houthis, fearing, perhaps, that the Iranian regime would further unleash its proxies in the region and drag the US into a costly, uncertain, and likely unpopular war thousands of miles from home

But the Houthis' increasingly brazen operations seem to be shifting opinions at the White House and the Pentagon.

Politico quoted two unnamed Pentagon officials Saturday as saying that “top Biden administration officials are actively weighing options to strike back at Houthis in Yemen.” The same source suggested that the US military “has also provided options to commanders to strike the Houthis.”

Taking advantage of US hesitation, the Houthis have managed to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea with regular (and escalating) attacks on commercial vessels. Four of the world’s five largest shipping companies have halted their traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Straits in the past two days.

Many fear that a prolonged halt in shipping in the Red Sea would affect the global economy, by driving up costs and re-igniting inflation, while disrupting supplies.

Currently, 12% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, according to a statement by the International Chamber of Shipping –which calls on “nations with influence in the region to stop the Houthis from attacking sailors and ships.”

The Biden administration has repeatedly warned the Houthis that they would not be spared if provocation continues. But so far the group has only escalated their operations.

On Saturday, the Pentagon confirmed that a US warship in the Red Sea had foiled a mass kamikaze drone attack by Houthi drones >>>