Following a ceasefire between America and the Houthis in May 2025, the EU launched Operation Aspides to secure maritime shipping in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Gulf. However, Houthi attacks since October 2023 had already caused a 60% decline in transits.
The EU's Operation Aspides aimed to restore maritime shipping through the region. The operation was framed as purely defensive.
Houthi attacks significantly reduced the volume of shipping transits through the region, highlighting the vulnerability of EU's naval presence and its inability to fully counter Houthi actions.
The article suggests the Houthis' actions have challenged the EU's ability to project naval power and independently secure maritime routes, raising questions about the effectiveness of Operation Aspides.
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).
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