- White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan pointed the finger at Iran when discussing the Houthis’ attacks on commercial vessels on Sunday
- “We have every reason to believe that these attacks, although launched by the Houthis in Yemen, were entirely enabled by Iran,” he said on Monday
- The USS Carney shot down three drones that came in its direction while responding to distress calls from commercial chips
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan pointed the finger at Iran on Monday as he discussed attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea.
On Sunday, ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis hit three merchant ships, while the American warship USS Carney shot down three drones flying in its direction.
Sullivan reiterated that it remains unclear whether the Carney was the intended target of the three unmanned aerial vehicles, but said the incident “really raises global concerns and poses a threat to international peace and stability.”
“We will continue to consult very closely with allies and partners to determine and take all appropriate responses,” Sullivan said.
“We have every reason to believe that these attacks, although launched by the Houthis in Yemen, were entirely enabled by Iran,” he added.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan pointed the finger at Iran on Monday as he discussed attacks by Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea
The USS Carney (pictured) shot down three drones as ballistic missiles fired from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen attacked three merchant ships on Sunday
The attack continues a pattern of escalation since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
On Sunday, the Carney detected a ballistic missile fired from a Houthi-controlled area in Yemen at a Bahamas-flagged merchant ship called the Unity Explorer.
This missile missed the ship and a short time later the Carney shot down a drone that was coming towards it.
According to the Central Command report, a second missile hit the Unity Explorer, while the Carney shot down a second drone as it responded to the Unity Explorer’s distress call.
The Unity Explorer sustained only minor damage from the missile attack.
Two other airliners, the Panamanian-flagged No. 9 and Sophie II, were also hit by missiles.
The Carney shot down a third drone as the warship responded to the Sophie II’s distress call.
The Sophie II reported no significant damage, while Number 9 reported some damage from the missile attacks.
There were no injuries.
Sullivan said at Monday’s news conference that the ships were connected to 14 different nations – but not necessarily Israel.
“I can’t answer that definitively, but we don’t think so. “We do not believe that all three ships have ties to Israel, and it shows you the level of ruthlessness with which the Houthis operate,” Sullivan said.
“Any ship they shoot at, whether it is Israeli-owned or has had any connection to Israel in the past, does not make it a more justifiable target under international law than if the ship had no ties to Israel,” he added.
One remedy on the table is so-called maritime task forces, he said, in which military ships from a coalition of countries would escort merchant vessels through this part of the Red Sea.
Sullivan noted, “That would be a natural part of the comprehensive response to what we’re seeing here.”
The top national security official said the Biden administration wants to build a coalition to address this problem with “as much support from as many countries as possible.”
“This is a problem for the whole world,” he said, while reiterating who is ultimately responsible.
“We’re talking about the Houthis, they’re the ones who have their finger on the trigger, this weapon, the weapons here are supplied by Iran and we believe that Iran is the ultimate party responsible for this,” Sullivan said.