US' Blinken discusses Houthi attacks with Indian foreign minister

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – In a phone call, the top US and Indian diplomats discussed recent attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Mideast shipping routes, which have disrupted international trade and also drawn British and American airstrikes.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and Subramanyan Jaishankar, India’s foreign minister, on Thursday discussed their “shared concerns over the reckless Houthi attacks in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law,” the US State Department said in a statement.

During the call, Blinken stressed that “the Red Sea is a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade and welcomed increased cooperation with India in defending freedom of navigation in the region.”

The duo also discussed efforts to prevent Israel's attacks on Gaza and escalating tension, as well as efforts to increase humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.

Blinken also spoke about the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The Red Sea is a critical waterway for international commerce, particularly for oil and fuel shipments, connecting the Suez Canal in Egypt with the Gulf of Aden via the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Suez Canal allows ships coming to and from Europe to transit to Asia without having to take the much longer and costlier route around the southern tip of Africa.

The Houthis have carried out 27 attacks in the Red Sea since Nov. 19, the US military said earlier.

Thursday saw US and UK airstrikes on multiple Houthi targets inside Yemen in what US President Joe Biden called a “direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels."