The White House announced that Washington is not seeking a conflict with Iran despite the American and British strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, while the European Union said that next week it will consider sending a European naval force to help protect ships in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that America is assessing the impact of the air strikes that targeted the Houthi group’s ability to store, launch and direct missiles and drones.
“We are still assessing the actual impacts on all of these targets. This work is ongoing, so I think we will have a better idea of the damage that occurred in the coming hours,” Kirby added.
As for National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, he confirmed on MSNBC that his country is not seeking a conflict with Iran, saying, “We are not seeking a conflict with Iran. We are not seeking an escalation, and there is no reason for an escalation to occur beyond what happened in the last days”.
The White House announced at dawn today – in a joint statement by 10 countries – that “in response to the Houthi attacks… on commercial ships in the Red Sea, the American and British armed forces carried out joint attacks on targets in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.”
New penalties
The US air strikes coincided with Washington’s decision to impose sanctions targeting shipments of goods that finance the Iranian Quds Force and the Houthis in Yemen.
The US Treasury Department announced the imposition of sanctions on two companies in Hong Kong and the Emirates, for shipping goods for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, in addition to a financial facilitator affiliated with the Houthi group.
In a related development, Western diplomats said that European Union countries will consider sending a European naval force next week to help protect ships in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
However, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced that her country would not participate in the potential mission, explaining, “We do not know yet whether the European Union will establish a new mission,” but if that happens, “Spain will not participate in the Red Sea, because it is currently participating in 17 a task”.
Diplomats reported that European Union foreign ministers may reach an agreement on the formation of a new mission during their next meeting in Brussels.
Italy also refuses
Spain will not be the only European country that refuses to participate in the European Naval Force, as an Italian government source confirmed that Rome refused to participate in the American-British strikes against the Houthi group in Yemen, explaining that Rome prefers to pursue a policy of “calm” in the Red Sea.
The source said that the Italian government would have needed to obtain parliamentary approval to participate in any military action, making quick approval impossible.
In this context, the UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting today after the American and British strikes on areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.
France, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council in January, said that Russia had requested the emergency meeting and that it would be held on Friday afternoon following another scheduled meeting that would address the situation in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called for an “immediate” halt to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, calling on all countries to respect the arms embargo imposed on the Houthis.
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2024-01-12 19:07:44
