A senior White House official said the United States would not rule out the possibility of launching strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been blamed for targeting commercial ships, while currently focusing on sanctions and security at sea.

Deputy National Security Advisor John Feiner told the Aspen Security Forum in Washington on Thursday: “We certainly have not ruled out the possibility of military action — we reserve that right.”

He added that for now, the United States will focus on “a maritime alliance to provide reassurance and security to commercial sea lanes.”

Finer said: “If a decision is made to escalate against us, we will consider other options.” Weiner was speaking in response to questions about the growing tension in the Red Sea, where the American warship, USS Carney, responded to distress calls from three ships allegedly targeted by the Houthis. .

The United States says the Houthis have been empowered by Iran and pose a threat to international trade and security at sea.

Finer said: “The Houthis will not be able to do this without Iran’s support.” He added, "They would not be able to do this. They would not have the weapons, they would not have the intelligence, and they would not have the motivation to do so if it were not for the role of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard."

He added: “We are absolutely certain that the Houthis are ultimately responsible, but there is an important role for Iran in these attacks.”

“The president has authorized ships to drop munitions that pass close to our destroyers,” Feiner said, adding that targeting U.S. civilian or military assets “would be a more serious escalation, but we have not made that calculation.”