Washington, DC – US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, John Kirby, has pledged to protect ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. In a recent statement, Kirby expressed the need for the attacks on merchant ships by Houthi rebels to cease. He emphasized that over twenty countries are joining the US in its efforts under ‘Operation Prosperity Guardian’ to safeguard shipping assets from these attacks.
We take seriously the responsibility to protect our ships and our sailors at sea, as well as the responsibility to protect the flow of international commerce…I would add that we’re not the only ones. Other nations are joining us in that effort. Some 20+ nations now are involved in the operation Prosperity Guardian. These attacks need to stop, and we’re going to do what we have to do to continue to protect that shipping, to protect our sailors, Kirby stated.
Operation Prosperity Guardian is a multinational coalition-led military operation initiated in December 2023 to counter Houthi-led attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Kirby also condemned the Iranian navy’s seizure of an oil tanker and demanded the immediate release of both the ship and its crew.
We condemn this apparent seizure, the Iranian government should immediately release the ship and its crew. It is an unacceptable action that needs to stop. We continue to work with our allies and partners to deter Iran’s full range of concerning and destabilizing behavior in close coordination with the international community, Kirby asserted.
Recently, Iran seized an oil tanker carrying Iraqi crude that was destined for Turkey as a response to the confiscation of the same vessel and its oil by the United States last year. The Houthi rebels in Yemen have been launching attacks on vessels in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel’s assault on the territory, which has raised concerns about potential retaliatory strikes from US-led forces patrolling the busy waterway.
While the Houthis have primarily targeted the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula, Thursday’s incident occurred closer to the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran.
The British maritime security firm Ambrey reported that several armed men boarded the Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas and headed towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran after seizing the tanker around 50 nautical miles east of Sohar in Oman. TankerTrackers.com, which monitors global crude oil shipments, revealed that the tanker was carrying Iraqi oil and had previously operated under the name Suez Rajan.
Ambrey also mentioned that the tanker, recently renamed, had previously faced prosecution and fines for transporting sanctioned Iranian oil, which was subsequently confiscated by US authorities. The year-long dispute ended with the US Department of Justice seizing one million barrels of Iranian crude.
The seizure of the oil tanker is the latest development following a series of attacks by the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. These incidents have heightened tensions and underscored the need for increased security measures to protect merchant ships in the region.
