Following America’s ceasefire in May with the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia based in Yemen, the European Union had a chance to step out of America’s military shadow in the Red Sea. The bloc’s naval authority was running Operation Aspides, a “purely defensive” mission in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the Gulf, to restore maritime shipping through the region. The number of transits had plummeted since attacks by the Houthis started in October 2023, with the total volume falling by 60% (see chart).
