Edited by Deepali Verma
External affairs minister S. Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a discussion regarding their shared concerns over the reckless Houthi attacks in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as informed by the US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller on January 11.
These attacks, reckless in nature, threatened the free flow of commerce, put the innocent mariners in danger and violated international law, constituted a crucial part of the dialogue, as per a US state department readout.
“The Secretary laid emphasis on the Red Sea being a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade and welcomed increased cooperation with Bharat in defending freedom of navigation in the region,” Miller said.
The discussion further addressed the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict where both the leaders talked of concerted efforts to prevent the conflict’s escalation and explored avenues that both enhances and ensures the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.
“A good discussion this evening with my friend US state secretary Antony Blinken,” Jaishankar wrote in a social media post on X.
“The focus of our conversation was on maritime security challenges, particularly the Red Sea region. I appreciate his insights on the ongoing situation that is unfolding in West Asia, including Gaza. We exchanged our perspectives on developments pertaining to the Ukraine conflict.,” he added.
This discussion comes at a time when there is a massive retaliatory strike by the US and British militaries that targeted a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The military targets spanned over logistical hubs, air defence systems and weapons storage locations, as per the reports by Associated Press quoting several US officials.
The strikes came as a primary U.S. military response to what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas.
