US and allies in talks on naval task force after Houthi attacks in Red Sea

The USS Carney warship in the Mediterranean Sea (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan U. Kledzik/US Navy via AP)

The White House has said the US may establish a naval task force to escort commercial ships in the Red Sea, a day after three vessels were struck by missiles fired by Iranian-back Houthis in Yemen.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US has been in active conversations with allies about setting up the escorts though nothing is finalised, describing it as a “natural” response to that sort of incident.