Maybe we could learn from our historic mistakes in something that more closely parralls Iran like Iraq, Syria and Libya...
Iran has threatened our country for years.
Iran is backing the attacks on the shipping of many countries.
Since 2014, Yemen has endured a brutal civil war that pits the Houthis — who receive substantial funding and weaponry from Iran — against Yemen’s internationally recognized government and an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia (and supported by the United States). As of last year, the United Nations estimated that the nearly decade-old war has killed more than 377,000 people — most due to malnutrition, unsafe water, and poor medical services, all exacerbated by conflict — though the violence has died down since a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. Today, the Houthis control about one-third of Yemen’s territory and 70 percent of its population.
Container ship captains who make the run between Europe and Asia are about to become reacquainted with the Cape of Good Hope, making a long swing around Africa in a route that has been largely obsolete since the opening of the Suez Canal more than 150 years ago.
Since mid-November, Houthi rebels in the Middle Eastern country of Yemen have been attacking shipping in the Red Sea, firing drones and missiles and, in some cases, boarding and seizing vessels. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, say the attacks are in solidarity with their Palestinian allies in Hamas. In response, most of the world’s largest container shipping companies — including Denmark’s Maersk, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, and China’s Cosco — have stopped shipments through the Red Sea. The oil company BP is doing so as well. An estimated 7 million barrels of oil normally travel through the sea per day.
The situation escalated rapidly this week. On January 10, the Houthis launched their largest attack yet, firing more than 20 missiles and drones at US allied warships in the region. The US and several of its allies responded the next day with military strikes against more than a dozen Houthi targets in Yemen.