White House attempts to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea aren't going well

The Biden White House is facing fresh criticism after their attempts to contain the growing menace of the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have largely fallen flat, imperiling global shipping lanes and endangering an already precarious economic position in the United States.

The Houthis, a rebel group in Yemen who are largely funded by the fundamentalist Iranian government, have been terrorizing shipping lanes in the vital Red Sea by launching more than 100 drone and missile attacks against civilian transport ships, in clear violation of international law. The situation has become so dire that even petroleum giant BP has indicated that it will cease shipping operations in the area until the threat is brought under control. The Houthis have promised to keep up their terror campaign until the Israel-Gaza conflict is ended.

The Iranian government has implausibly denied involvement in the attacks.

First, the White House attempted to put together an international coalition to show a united world front that was opposed to the attacks but was only able to get a paltry nine countries to sign on, even in name.

The Biden administration's response to the Houthis' campaign was initially muted, likely due to a desire to preserve a fragile peace deal in Yemen between the Houthis and the Saudi government. Former President Donald Trump's administration designated the Houthis a terror organization, but this designation was ultimately removed by the Biden administration over objections from Republicans. Republicans in Congress have been attempting to re-designate the Houthis as a terror organization, a move that has been blocked by the administration's allies in the Senate over this exact concern.

This led to a wave of blistering criticism over the administration's perceived indifference to protecting American companies who are operating in the area. Now, the White House is striking a more aggressive tone, accusing Iran of direct involvement in the attacks and warning that "We know that Iran was deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea."

The Houthis have responded with defiance, promising that if U.S. naval forces hit ground installations in Yemen, they will escalate their attacks and will specifically target U.S. warships.

Meanwhile, Biden's inability to contain the threat has led to a fresh wave of condemnations, including from Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who once again called on Biden to re-designate the Houthis as a terror group.