Joint Statement: Consequences For Houthis If Red Sea Attacks Continue

The Governments of the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have issued a joint statement on attacks conducted by Yemen-based Houthi rebels in the Red Sea warning: "Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews."

• "The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the [Middle East] region's critical waterways."
• "Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world's most critical waterways."
• "These attacks threaten innocent lives from all over the world and constitute a significant international problem that demands collective action. Nearly 15 percent of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 percent of global grain trade, 12 percent of seaborne-traded oil and 8 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas trade."
• "International shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods...."