Houthis Carry Out Third Attack on Commercial Ship in Three Days |
Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired two missiles near a U.S.-owned ship yesterday that landed in nearby water, U.S. Central Command said. Speaking to reporters yesterday, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged (CNN) that U.S. strikes on the Houthis would continue, and the U.S. military reported yesterday that it attacked Houthi anti-ship missiles that were preparing to launch from Yemen. Meanwhile, a member of Houthi leadership told a Russian news outlet that ships that were not linked to Israel, such as those from China and Russia, would have safe passage in the Red Sea, AFP reported.
The Houthi attacks have caused many shipping companies to reroute vessels from the Red Sea, which accounts for around 15 percent of global sea traffic. Yesterday, China joined calls (FT) to ensure safe navigation in the passageway, calling on “all relevant parties” to protect it.
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“Even if Iran were removed from this equation, the Houthis would be continuing to disrupt the commercial shipping. What they see here is an opportunity to galvanize support amongst the Yemeni people for their actions. Missed from the media actually is how unpopular the Houthis were in September, just before the October 7th attack,” the American Enterprise Institute’s Katherine Zimmerman tells The President’s Inbox podcast.
“Iran’s support of the Houthis has presented a test for China’s relations in the region, analysts said. China imports about half of its crude oil from Iran and other countries in the Middle East, and much of its trade with the EU, its second-biggest trading partner, also passes through the Red Sea,” the Financial Times’ Joe Leahy writes.
This CFR Virtual Media Briefing discusses the Houthi attacks and the U.S. response.
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Middle East and North Africa |
Netanyahu Pushes Back Against U.S., Arab Calls for Palestinian State |
Five Arab countries proposed (Bloomberg) a U.S.-backed plan to donate to reconstruction of the Gaza Strip if Israel works toward Palestinian statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said (NYT) at a news conference yesterday that his vision for control “clashes with the idea of [Palestinian] sovereignty.” A U.S. State Department spokesperson reiterated Washington’s position yesterday, saying there was “no way” to rebuild or provide lasting security in Gaza without establishing a Palestinian state.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Kali Robinson explores who governs the Palestinians.
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Pyongyang Says It Tested Undersea Nuclear Weapons System |
North Korea tested (AP) an underwater attack drone in response to naval exercises this week conducted by the United States, Japan, and South Korea, the North Korean military said today. At a UN Security Council meeting yesterday, South Korea urged the body to “break the silence” on North Korea’s escalating missile tests, as China and Russia have blocked U.S.-led efforts to increase sanctions on North Korea.
Canada/Philippines: The countries signed a memorandum of understanding (Reuters) on military cooperation in Manila today, which the Philippine defense minister said could eventually lead to a troop pact. Canada has supported the Philippines amid increasing Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.
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China Offers to Mediate After Pakistan, Iran Trade Strikes |
Beijing is willing (Economic Times) “to play a constructive role in de-escalating” current relations between Iran and Pakistan after the two countries carried out air strikes on each other’s territory earlier this week, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said. Both Iran and Pakistan have close ties with China and are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Kyrgyzstan: The United States and European Union (EU) voiced concern (Reuters) after Kyrgyz authorities detained eleven journalists this week and raided the offices of two media outlets. The EU urged Kyrgyzstan to maintain its international obligations to allow independent journalism and freedom of expression.
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss the escalating U.S.-Iran proxy war, Sudan’s intensifying conflict, forty years of the Sundance Film Festival, and more. |
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U.S., AU, and EU Call for Sudan Cease-Fire at Regional Summit |
Envoys from the United States, African Union (AU), and EU called for a halt (AP) in fighting and constructive dialogue between warring groups in Sudan at an emergency leaders summit of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, an East African regional bloc. Sudan’s government suspended ties with the bloc earlier this week. The United Nations also announced yesterday that it began investigating human rights violations committed during Sudan’s civil war.
Uganda: Ahead of planned protests over the poor conditions of roads, police surrounded the home (AFP) of opposition leader Bobi Wine and put him under “house arrest,” Wine said on social media. A police spokesperson confirmed a “security deployment” to block some people from participating in political demonstrations. Uganda is set to host two global summits in the coming days.
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Furnaces at UK’s Largest Steel Plant to Close |
The parent company of Port Talbot Steelworks said continuing production at the loss-making plant was not feasible (The Guardian) during a transition to greener production and announced its closure will cost up to 2,800 direct jobs. This move would also leave the United Kingdom (UK) as the only Group of Twenty (G20) country that is unable to make steel from scratch.
Poland: The EU is looking into (FT) ways to unblock more than $108 billion worth of frozen disbursements to Poland even if its right-wing President Andrzej Duda vetoes new Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s judicial reforms. The funding was frozen over Poland’s failure to meet rule-of-law requirements.
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Brazil’s President Meets With Chinese Foreign Minister |
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet (Reuters) in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza today and are expected to make a joint statement. A Brazil-China business meeting last week in the Chinese city of Shenzhen discussed upcoming Chinese investments in Brazil’s power transmission, oil, and electric vehicles sectors.
This Backgrounder by CFR’s Diana Roy explores China’s growing influence in Latin America. Chile/Mexico: The countries filed a request (AP) for the International Criminal Court to investigate potential crimes against civilians committed during Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7 attack and the ongoing violence in Gaza.
This Backgrounder by Claire Klobucista and CFR’s Mariel Ferragamo explains the role of the International Criminal Court.
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Congress Passes Short-Term Bill to Fund Government, Avoiding Partial Shutdown |
The bill passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate pushes (CNN) two government shutdown deadlines forward from January 19 and February 2 to March 1 and March 8. Lawmakers have yet to pass a series of full-year spending bills and have been divided on what they should include. |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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