White House weighing maritime convoys for commercial ships in Red Sea after Houthi attacks

The Biden administration is in talks with other nations about setting up maritime convoys for commercial vessels operating in the Red Sea, national security adviser Jake Sullivan announced Monday.

Sullivan’s announcement came after Houthi rebels (a terrorist group operating out of Yemen with Iranian backing) attacked three such ships over the weekend. The Houthis had carried out similar strikes following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas against Israel and claimed to continue targeting vessels in the Red Sea with Israeli ties.

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Pressed by reporters on whether U.S. ships would specifically be used to “escort” ships through the region, Sullivan noted that the United States is already involved in “maritime task forces” protecting shipping lanes in other regions of the world.

“We are in talks with other countries about a maritime task force of sorts involving the ships from partner nations alongside the United States and ensuring safe passage of ships in the Red Sea,” he continued. “Those talks are ongoing as we speak. I don’t have anything formal to announce, but that would be a natural part of the comprehensive response to what we are seeing here.”

Attacks against U.S. forces in the region by Iranian proxy groups have also drastically increased after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas despite multiple missile strikes by the U.S. to deter a further widening of the conflict.

The USS Carney, a Navy destroyer in the Red Sea, shot down three drones that were believed to have originated from Yemen while responding to the three ships attacked by the Houthis over the weekend.

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The Pentagon has not yet made a determination whether the USS Carney was the drones’ target or if it was simply in the area at the time.

You can watch Monday’s briefing in full below.