US considers task force to protect Red Sea ships from Iranian proxy forces

The United States is in talks with its allies to set up a naval task force to monitor ships traveling through the Red Sea after the latest attack on several commercial ships in what appears to be an escalating extension of Israel’s war with Hamas by an Iranian-sponsored proxy. forces.

Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, said Monday that such patrols or escorts could be the appropriate response to attacks on ships in the region. He compared the mission to similar task forces in the Gulf, where Iranian naval forces have sometimes been aggressive against other ships, and off the coast of Somalia, where pirates have preyed on private vessels in the past.

“We are in discussions with other countries about some type of maritime task force that would involve the ships of partner countries alongside the United States in ensuring the safe passage of ships in the Red Sea,” Mr. Sullivan told reporters at the White House. “Those conversations are ongoing as we speak. I have nothing formal to announce. But that would be a natural part of the comprehensive response to what we see.”

Mr. Sullivan’s comments came a day after several commercial ships came under fire and a U.S. Navy destroyer shot down three drones during an hours-long attack on Sunday. According to U.S. Central Command, one of the intercepted drones was headed for the destroyer, the USS Carney. No injuries or damage were reported from the Carney, the Pentagon said.

The drones were tracked to parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi militia, an Iranian-backed force that has launched a series of attacks on Israeli and US targets since the October 7 terrorist attack led by Hamas on Israel. The Houthis said they were determined to prevent Israeli ships from sailing in the Red Sea until Israel halted its attack on Hamas in Gaza.

Mr. Sullivan said he did not believe all three commercial ships targeted Sunday had ties to Israel, adding that their targeting would not have been justified even if they had. In fact, Mr. Sullivan said the three ships were connected to fourteen different countries. “This is a problem for the whole world, for every country that depends on maritime trade to sustain its economy,” he said. “That’s every country, by the way.”

He added that the attacks were “entirely enabled by Iran,” the Houthis’ patron. “They are the ones with their finger on the trigger,” he said of the Houthis. “That weapon, the weapons here, are supplied by Iran, and Iran, in our view, is the ultimate party responsible for this.”

Mr. Sullivan said the United States would “take appropriate action” in consultation with allies “at a time and place of our choosing.” Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not doing more to counter such aggression by Iranian proxies.

“The Biden administration saying ‘don’t do it’ to Iran and its allies is clearly not working,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina. “The Biden Administration Says ‘Don’t Do It’; Iran and its allies ‘do’. We must regain deterrence by letting Iran know that its infrastructure is on the target list.”