The US has warned Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea, according to reports.

The US has warned Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea, according to reports.

American news website Axios cites officials in the Biden administration as issuing the warning via several channels.

The US special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking has requested that his Saudi Arabian, Omani, and Qatari counterparts give the Houthis the message to stop the attacks.

Houthi militants in Yemen are part of a so-called “Resistance Front” alliance of Iran-backed forces in the region that also includes Hezbollah.

In the two months since the war in Gaza began, Yemeni rebels have intensified their attacks on ships traversing the Red Sea, one of the world's busiest maritime routes, after calls to stop shipments to Israel by Iran’s leader.

While Iran has avoided direct military engagement in the Gaza war, its armed proxy forces in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have launched more than 90 attacks.

According to the US military, the Yemeni attacks against commercial ships are “fully enabled” by Iran.

Last week, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan indicated that Washington was in discussions with other countries regarding the formation of a maritime task force to ensure the safe passage of ships in the Red Sea.

Following Sullivan’s comments, the Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani cautioned on Thursday that the proposed US-backed multinational task force to protect Red Sea shipping would encounter "extraordinary problems."

"Nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance," he said, referring to the Red Sea.
Last week Reuters reported senior sources in Iran-aligned groups had indicated the Houthi attacks were part of a bid to pressure Washington to stop Israel's retaliation in Gaza.