Houthi attacks: The Houthis of Yemen, backed by Iran and the most recent group to join the Israel-Hamas conflict, have been attacking ships in the Red Sea that are either owned by Israel or sailing towards Israeli ports. This has put the US in direct conflict with the rebel group, as on Monday a cargo ship was destroyed in the Gulf of Aden by the Houthis.

Through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea links the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans.”We have multiple phenomena out there,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said when News18 questioned him about the general situation and the reason the Houthis were targeting the vessels. We saw piracy, a resurgence of it. That presents a distinct issue. Both causes are significant, but the second one is more so because drone strikes and missile strikes are two different kinds of difficulties. The problem has begun to reroute shipments, which comes at a cost. He went on to say that such assaults would affect India’s economic and energy goals. He emphasized that a “faster resolution” of the matter was necessary.

After Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea, many shipping lines declared that they would be rerouting their routes to go around the Cape of Good Hope and into Europe. The most recent was the January 17 attack by Houthis on the Greek-owned bulk vessel Zograflia, which was traveling from Vietnam to Israel.

On January 16, while on a formal visit to Iran, Jaishankar met with President Ebrahim Raisi to discuss accelerating the execution of bilateral agreements, such as the Chabahar Port Development Plan.

Raisi emphasized the value of relations between Iran and India, but she also expressed concern about Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza and asked India to assist in putting an end to the airstrikes.”The President clarified that the only way to restore stability and security to the region is to stop the attacks on Gaza, punish the Zionist regime, and uphold the rights of the Palestinian people. He described the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in Gaza as blatant examples of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to Raisi’s remark, “India must play a part in putting an end to the bombings, lifting the blockade of this region, and realizing the rights of the Palestinian people.”The Wall Street Journal reports that British oil firm Shell declared on Tuesday that it would be permanently stopping all of its shipments through the Red Sea.

Numerous airstrikes were carried out last week by US and British bombers, ships, and submarines in reprisal for a Houthi attack on Red Sea shipping, which the movement supported by Iran views as a payback for Israel’s Gaza offensive.

SOURCE: https://www.news18.com/india/diversion-of-ships-has-its-costs-jaishankar-says-houthi-attack-in-red-sea-will-hit-indias-energy-economy-8743732.html