Spain will not join Red Sea missions against Houthis, says defense minister

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Spain will not participate in international missions to protect Red Sea shipping vessels from Houthi attacks, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Friday.

“Spain’s position, out of a sense of responsibility and commitment to peace, is not to intervene in the Red Sea,” she told media.

Robles added that Spain’s naval forces are tied up with 17 other missions, emphasizing the “very demanding” fight against piracy in the Western Indian Ocean.

The defense chief reiterated that Spain will not join the US-led operation, which carried out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen on Thursday.

As the EU mulls launching its own mission in the Red Sea to help stop Houthi attacks, she ruled out Spain's involvement there too. However, Robles added that Spain would not oppose such a mission.

Regarding the US-led attacks on the Houthis, she said Spain does not “want to judge the actions of other countries.”

Robles also said that Madrid has not received pressure from the US to join the mission.

When Washington first announced Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect shipping in the Red Sea, it named Spain as one of the participating nations. Madrid, however, quickly shut down that claim.

According to Spanish daily El Mundo, sources from Spain’s Defense Ministry said the Biden administration has apologized for the mistake.

European and Spanish media reported that the EU could decide whether to launch a separate mission as soon as a Jan. 22 meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels.