The US is stepping up its strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, an effort in the waning days of the Biden administration to degrade the Iranian proxy’s ability to disrupt shipping routes through the Red Sea.
US Central Command carried out strikes against targets in Sana’a and coastal locations in Yemen on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31, according to a statement. The US also carried out strikes on Houthi targets on Dec. 21 and Dec. 16.
The uptick in strikes shows a shift in strategy, said Brenda Shaffer, a professor and energy expert at the US Naval Postgraduate School.
“For the past four years, the Biden administration allowed the Houthis to disrupt international shipping in the Red Sea and fire missiles at Israel, because it hoped to conclude a new deal with the Houthis’ sponsor – Iran,” Shaffer said.
With a deal no longer an option, Biden is now allowing the US military to open up the Red Sea, Shaffer said. “In its final days, the administration is unleashing the US military to fulfill its traditional role of maintaining the freedom of the seas,” she said.
Strike targets
The new strikes targeted a Houthi command and control facility as well as facilities used to produce and store weapons like missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles, the Central Command statement said. Aircraft also destroyed a coastal radar site and seven cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea, the statement said.
Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, which began in December 2023, have had a significant impact on oil shipping routes, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea.
The share of total seaborne crude shipments utilizing the Suez Canal decreased to 5% in the first quarter 2024 from from 8% the year-ago quarter, “underscoring the adverse effects of escalating regional tension on critical maritime routes,” according to the most recent CAS weekly crude oil report, issued Dec. 18.
US sanctions
In addition to striking Houthi targets, the Biden administration has continued to sanction oil tankers and entities that support the Houthis and their Iranian backers.
The US Treasury Department on Dec. 31 also sanctioned organizations linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate for attempting to interfere in the US presidential election.
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to expand oil sanctions on Iran, but he may also shift tactics in his second term and use more military intervention in in the region as well.
Source: Platts
