American Secretary of State Antony Blinken decided to once again visit the countries of the Middle East in the new year. The main purpose of the visit is obviously the situation around Gaza and the Red Sea.

Blinken has already visited several countries in the region, including Qatar. At a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdel-Rahman Al Thani, the U.S. Secretary of State noted the seriousness of the situation that arose with shipping in the Red Sea due to the actions of the Yemeni Houthis.

"These (Houthi) attacks directly affected the interests of more than 40 countries and disrupted almost 20% of global maritime traffic," Blinken said.

According to the secretary of state, the Houthi attacks are increasing delivery times for many goods, increasing their costs, which consumers around the world will have to pay.
Blinken added that the United States, along with more than 20 countries, has launched an operation to ensure the safety of shipping in the Red Sea.

The American Secretary of State also noted during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar that the conflict around the Gaza Strip could expand and Washington is doing everything to prevent this from happening. In simple terms, Blinken is asking neighboring countries not to interfere and to let Israel calmly deal with Hamas.

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