THE ATTACKS IN THE RED SEA

USA: Iran highly involved in Red Sea attacks

The United States has intelligence that Iran is "highly" involved in the attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson told CNN.

According to the White House, Iran has contributed drones, robots, surveillance systems and tactical intelligence.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have carried out more than 100 attacks on a range of ships in the past month, prompting shipping companies to reroute routes and instead take the much longer route around Africa.

About 20 countries have formed a military coalition to secure the waterways.

Watson: Without Iran's support, it would be difficult for the Huthi rebels to track down and meet Father

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​Drought in Panama and the crisis in the Red Sea are putting pressure on shipping

At the same time that the shipping company is steering away from the passage in the Red Sea after the Huthi rebels' attacks, another channel crisis is underway. In Panama, a drought has made the water levels too low, which hinders freight traffic, writes Bloomberg.

The parallel canal crises mean that the shipping companies have to redirect and return to the 18th century trade routes, around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. The problems in Panama are causing some ships to take the 8,000-mile (13,000 km) longer route via the southern tip of South America.

The result is rampant freight transport. The price of shipping a container from Asia to northern Europe has increased by roughly 40 percent in the last month.