The White House stated that President Donald Trump is taking a firm stand against "terrorism" to safeguard international trade, emphasizing that his administration is taking action to eliminate what it described as the Houthi threat to U.S. economic and national security.
It added that the Houthis have attacked American personnel abroad and threatened Washington's allies in the region.
The statement stressed that no "terrorist force" would be allowed to prevent American commercial and naval vessels from moving freely through global waterways.
The White House highlighted that Houthi attacks on maritime shipping since 2023 have negatively impacted U.S. economic security and global trade.
According to the statement, the number of commercial ships passing through the Red Sea has dropped from 25,000 annually to around 10,000.
Additionally, it noted that these attacks have forced about 60% of vessels to reroute around Africa instead of using the Red Sea. The Houthis have reportedly attacked U.S. warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023.
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