‘What Are The Consequences?’: Biden Admin Pressed On Iran-Backed Attacks On Commercial Ships
On Monday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was asked about Iran-backed attacks on commercial ships.
Transcript
00:00 I want to ask you about the attacks on commercial vessels
00:03 over the weekend.
00:04 The Houthis have threatened to attack any commercial ship
00:10 in that region that has ties to Israel.
00:13 You mentioned the fact that these ships had ties
00:15 to 14 different countries.
00:17 Did all of these ships have ties to Israel?
00:19 I can't answer that definitively,
00:21 but we don't think so.
00:22 We do not believe that all three of the ships had ties to Israel.
00:24 And it goes to show you the level of recklessness
00:27 that the Houthis are operating on.
00:30 Any ship they shoot at, whether it's Israeli-owned
00:33 or has some connection in the past to Israel,
00:36 that doesn't make it any more of a justifiable target
00:39 under international law than if the ship didn't have ties
00:42 to Israel.
00:42 But some of these ships, we believe, may not have.
00:45 Although, I don't want to give you a definitive answer
00:47 on that, because we have to continue to run that to ground.
00:50 In addition to that, the position of the United States,
00:53 consistent with the position of the UN Security Council
00:55 and consistent with the position of maritime nations
00:59 across the world, is that attacks on commercial shipping
01:02 in international waters are totally unacceptable
01:04 and have to stop.
01:05 And what we are doing now is engaging
01:07 in intensive consultations with partners and allies
01:10 to determine the appropriate next steps.
01:11 The last point I should make is just to underscore something
01:14 I said in my opening statement.
01:16 We are talking about the Houthis here.
01:18 They're the ones with their finger on the trigger.
01:20 But that gun, the weapons here, are being supplied by Iran.
01:24 And Iran, we believe, is the ultimate party
01:27 responsible for this.
01:28 And when you talk about next steps with partners,
01:30 is one possibility setting up some kind of escort service?
01:34 You talked about the USS Kearney that responded.
01:39 Is there a possibility that the US
01:41 would partner with other militaries in the region
01:43 to escort these ships as they go through this sensitive region?
01:46 We have maritime task forces elsewhere
01:49 to deal with threats to shipping.
01:50 It's true in the Gulf.
01:52 It's true off the coast of Somalia
01:54 with respect to piracy.
01:56 And we are in talks with other countries
01:58 about a maritime task force of sorts
02:01 involving the ships from partner nations
02:03 alongside the United States in ensuring safe passage
02:07 of ships in the Red Sea.
02:08 Those talks are ongoing as we speak.
02:10 I don't have anything formal to announce.
02:11 But that would be a natural part of a comprehensive response
02:14 to what we are seeing here.
02:16 Yeah.
02:16 Thank you.
02:17 Continuing on that, you said these attacks
02:20 were fully enabled by Iran.
02:21 Can you talk about what are the consequences
02:23 or what the consequences will be for Iran?
02:26 As I said, we have seen this unfold over the course
02:30 of the day.
02:30 Yesterday, we are taking this time
02:32 to consult with allies and partners
02:34 because we believe this is not just an issue for the United
02:37 States.
02:38 These ships were not US commercial ships.
02:41 They were from a variety of nations.
02:42 This is an issue for the entire world,
02:45 for every country that relies upon maritime commerce
02:49 to sustain their economy.
02:50 And by the way, that is every country.
02:53 And that's why you saw the statement come out
02:54 of the UN Security Council at the end of last week.
02:57 So we will take the time to do the appropriate consultation,
03:00 build a response that involves as much buy-in
03:03 from as many countries as possible.
03:04 And then we'll have more to report
03:06 once we've done those consultations.