Coming in from a round of golf, on Saturday, March 15, 2025, President Trump ordered a series of military operations against the Islamist terrorist Houthis to defend U.S. shipping
assets in the Red Sea, restore freedom of navigation for international shipping, and deter enemy threats to US interests
For years, the Houthis, who operate out of Yemen and are funded and controlled by the Islamist regime in Iran, have targeted U.S. military ships and aircraft, hit commercial ships – including U.S.-flagged vessels – threatened our personnel overseas, and attacked our allies in the region.
For example:
Houthi attacks against shipping since 2023 have caused a sustained negative effect on global trade and the economic security of the United States. A 2024 Defense Intelligence Agency report detailed how container shipping through the Red Sea has precipitously declined due to Houthi attacks.
Before their attacks, 25,000 merchant ships passed through the Red Sea annually. The current number has dropped to around 10,000 ships annually.
Imports of consumer goods and cars to the United States, as well as agricultural exports from our own Gulf of America, have been rerouted due to the Houthi attacks.
In November 2023, the Houthis seized the ship M/V Galaxy Leader and began to attack commercial ships with anti-ship missiles and unmanned vehicles.
Houthi attacks caused approximately 75% of U.S.- and UK-affiliated vessels to reroute around Africa instead of transiting the Red Sea. Traveling around Africa takes an average of ten days longer than sailing through the Red Sea. Additional fuel costs are roughly one million dollars more for each voyage around Africa.
Higher shipping rates caused by Houthi attacks probably increased global consumer goods inflation between 0.6 and 0.7 percent in 2024.
The Red Sea serves a primary conduit for trade between Europe and Asia. Around 95% of ships traveling between Europe and Asia normally would go through the Red Sea.
Out of the top ten importers (by value) of trade through the Red Sea, five are EU nations.
Houthi attacks caused approximately 60% of EU-affiliated vessels to reroute around Africa instead of transiting the Red Sea.
The Houthis have attacked U.S. warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023.
Thanks to the feckless policies of the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress, it has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden. No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the waterways of the World.
In a White House statement President Trump said, “Our economic and national security have been under attack by the Houthis for too long,” and on Saturday, President Trump took action to end those attacks.
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