US 'not looking for conflict with Iran,' White House says after strikes on Houthis

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US is "not looking for conflict with Iran," the White House said Friday after Washington and its partner forces carried out overnight strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

"We're not looking to escalate, and there's no reason for it to escalate beyond what happened over the last few days by the Houthis. They're the ones that have been escalating," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said during an interview with the MSNBC television network.

"That said, we know that Iran supports the Houthis. We know that they supply them with the missiles and the drones, the same things that they've been using to attack shipping. And we have made it very clear, Iran should stop that support," he added.

US President Joe Biden said late Thursday that the airstrikes were against the Houthis in "direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea – including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history."

"These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes. I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," he said.

The Houthis have targeted vessels in the southern Red Sea and warned that they will attack all ships transiting to or from Israel, as well as ships that are owned by Israeli firms. They have said the attacks are meant to support Palestinians as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza.

The US and UK carried out the strikes with unspecified "support" from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, the Biden administration said.

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 Thursday.