An aerial view of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower together in eastern Mediterranean on November 03, 2023.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
The Congressional calls to consider prioritizing U.S.-flagged vessels come at a time when the Iranian-backed Houthis continue to attack shipping in the Red Sea. According to U.S. defense officials, there have been 40 attacks on commercial shipping. Over the weekend, the U.S. and allies launched the latest strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis rebels, which included targeting of anti-ship cruise missiles. Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthis’ Ansarallah political bureau, said on Saturday in response that the group’s attacks “will continue until the aggression against Gaza stops.”
Recently, four senators — including three from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — asked the White House for the “legal rationale” behind President Biden’s “unilateral” decision to not prioritize the security of U.S. vessels in light of the deaths of five U.S. servicemen serving in the region. Other nations, including U.S. ally France, have already declared their priority is to escort French-linked vessels after facing nationalistic pressure.
International law requires commercial vessels to be registered in a country. The country where a ship is registered is identified by that country’s flag. Many times insurance and a country’s tax environment play a part in a ship’s flag state….
