US, allies in talks on naval task force to protect shipping in Red Sea

WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that the U.S. may establish a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea, a day after three vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-back Houthis in Yemen.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. has been in active conversations with allies about setting up the escorts though nothing is finalized, describing it as a “natural” response to that sort of incident.

On Sunday, ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck three commercial ships, while a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defense during an hourslong assault, the U.S. military said. It marked an escalation in a series of maritime attacks in the Mideast linked to the Israel-Hamas war .

“We are in talks with other countries about a maritime task force of sorts involving the ships from partner nations alongside the United States in ensuring safe passage,” Sullivan told reporters. He noted similar task forces are used to protect commercial shipping elsewhere, including off the coast of Somalia.

The Houthi attacks imperil traffic on one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes and with it global trade overall. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says 8.8 million barrels of oil a day are shipped through the Red Sea and the narrow straits of the Bab al-Mandab within range of the Houthis, making it one of world trade’s most crucial chokepoints. The ships carry oil and natural gas from the Gulf to Europe, the United States and China.

The Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are also part of a vital route for commercial shipping overall, carrying millions of tons of agricultural products and other goods to markets yearly.

Sullivan said that while the Houthis had “their finger on the trigger,” the group’s Iranian sponsors were ultimately responsible.

“The weapons here are being supplied by Iran,” Sullivan said. “Iran, we believe, is the ultimate party responsible for this.”

Sullivan said the U.S. does not believe that all three of the ships struck by the Houthis had ties to Israel, saying, “It goes to show you the level of recklessness that the Houthis are operating.”

AP writers Jon Gambrell and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed reporting.

华盛顿——白宫周一表示，美国可能会组建一支海军特遣部队，为红海的商船护航。此前一天，三艘船只遭到也门胡塞武装（伊朗支持）发射的导弹袭击。

国家安全顾问杰克·沙利文表示，美国一直在与盟友积极讨论安排护卫事宜，尽管尚未最终确定，他称这是对此类事件的“自然”反应。

美国军方称，周日，也门胡塞武装发射的弹道导弹击中了三艘商船，与此同时，一艘美国军舰在长达数小时的袭击中出于自卫击落了三架无人机。这标志着与以色列-哈马斯战争相关的中东地区一系列海上袭击事件的升级。

“我们正在与其他国家商讨组建一支海上特遣部队，让伙伴国家的船只与美国一起确保航行安全，”苏利文告诉记者。他指出，类似的特遣部队也被用于保护其他地区的商业航运，包括索马里沿海地区。

胡塞武装的袭击危及全球最重要的航道之一的交通，进而影响全球贸易。美国能源信息署表示，每天有880万桶石油经由红海和胡塞武装控制范围内的曼德海峡运输，使其成为世界贸易的关键咽喉要道之一。这些船只将石油和天然气从海湾地区运往欧洲、美国和中国。

红海和曼德海峡也是商业航运的重要通道，每年向市场运送数百万吨农产品和其他货物。

沙利文表示，虽然胡塞武装“扣动了扳机”，但该组织的伊朗支持者才是最终的责任人。

“这里的武器都是伊朗提供的，”苏利文说。“我们认为，伊朗是这一切的最终责任方。”

沙利文表示，美国不认为胡塞武装袭击的三艘船只都与以色列有关联，他说：“这表明胡塞武装的行动有多么鲁莽。”

美联社记者乔恩·甘布雷尔和艾伦·尼克迈尔对此报道亦有贡献。