On Thursday, the United States Department of Defense announced that more than twenty nations have consented to participate in the project as new governments join it to defend commercial shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthi movement in Yemen.

Nevertheless, the latest figure from the Pentagon would imply that at least eight nations that have signed up have also declined to be publicly named. This is a sign of the political sensitivity of the operation, which comes at a time when tensions in the area are rising as a result of the confrontation between Israel and Hamas.

“We’ve had over 20 nations sign on to participate,” Major General Patrick Ryder stated, noting that Greece and Australia have also announced their intention to participate.

“We’ll allow other countries, defer to them to talk about their participation.”

It has been two days since the United States announced the commencement of Operation Prosperity Guardian. The United States claims that more than a dozen nations have agreed to take part in the operation, which would entail cooperative patrols in the seas of the Red Sea near Yemen.

According to Ryder, each nation will give whatever they can, and he referred to it as a “coalition of the willing.”

There are various instances in which vessels will be involved. “In other instances, it might involve staff or other forms of support,” he stated during a press briefing.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist party that is in control of Gaza, has resulted in the situation that is currently occurring in the Red Sea.

The battle started on October 7 when Hamas members poured across the Gaza border into southern Israel. According to Israeli authorities, the terrorists murdered around 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilian Israelis and foreigners.

Health professionals in the densely populated coastal enclave of Gaza have reported that almost 20,000 Palestinians have been murdered as a result of Israel’s retaliatory shelling and invasion of Gaza. Israeli officials have stated that the invasion and bombardment are intended to eradicate Hamas.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Iranian proxies, such as the Houthis and those affiliated with Hezbollah in Lebanon, have launched rockets into Israel. In the meantime, the Houthis have increased their number of strikes in the Red Sea. They have threatened to attack any ships that are en route to Israel and have issued a warning to shipping businesses to avoid interacting with Israeli ports.

The assaults have significantly disrupted a vital commerce route connecting Europe and North America with Asia through the Suez Canal. As a result, container shipping rates have skyrocketed because businesses are attempting to ship their products through other routes that are frequently longer.

The United States Navy, the British Navy, and the French Navy have all responded by shooting down Houthi drones and missiles. However, some critics in Washington argue that these defensive operations do not go far enough to dissuade the Houthis from continuing their attacks.

According to the Iranian Students News Agency, Iran announced Thursday that it will remove visa restrictions for 33 countries. These nations include Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, with whom Tehran had strained ties for many years before a recent thaw.

“The ministry of tourism believes that an open-door policy will showcase Iran’s determination to engage with different countries of the world,” the semi-official Iranian news agency stated.

According to the statement, the decision would mean that the number of nations or territories whose people are permitted to visit Iran without the need to get a visa will climb to 45.

After years of animosity between the two oil-producing Gulf rivals, this decision is another step toward healing ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia (after years of tension between the two Gulf rivals).

Over the last ten years, Riyadh and Tehran have sided with opposing factions in the battles that have taken place in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Recent years have seen several attacks against Saudi oil infrastructure, which Western authorities have blamed on Iran and its Arab proxy forces. These attacks have posed the danger of further escalating the regional conflict in the Middle East. In response, Iran denied any role in such assaults.

Under an agreement China negotiated in March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume full diplomatic relations, which had been cut in 2016.

Bahrain, with which Tehran has not yet re-established full ties, is also included in the decision to waive visa restrictions. Saudi Arabian nationals, United Arab Emirates nationals, and Qatari nationals are all included in the decision.

Among the countries included on the comprehensive list that ISNA provided were Lebanon, Tunisia, India, and several Central Asian, African, and “Muslim” states. Croatia, a relatively tiny member of the European Union and NATO was the only Western-allied European republic included on the list.

This visa exemption will only benefit Russian citizens traveling to the nation in groups, according to ISNA’s further statement.

Before his declaration, citizens of the Sultanate of Oman were permitted to go to Iran without a visa.

Iranian media announced on Wednesday that Iranian pilgrims will restart regular travel to Saudi Arabia on December 19, marking the first time they will commence such travel in eight years.

On Wednesday, the Chinese military announced that it had dispatched fighter planes to Taiwan to monitor and warn a United States Navy patrol aircraft that had flown across the Taiwan Strait. This mission took place several weeks before Taiwan was scheduled to have elections.

There is a claim of sovereignty by China over Taiwan, which is ruled democratically, and China asserts that it has control over the Taiwan Strait. There is a disagreement between Taiwan and the United States since both countries assert that the Taiwan Strait is an international waterway.

As reported by the Seventh Fleet of the United States Navy, a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance jet, also utilized for anti-submarine operations, was observed flying above the strait in international airspace.

The fact that the aircraft could cross the Taiwan Strait proves that the United States is dedicated to maintaining an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. The military of the United States “flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” according to a statement.

According to the Chinese military, the trip was “public hype.” They also stated that they had dispatched fighters to watch and warn the American jet and that they would “deal with it in accordance with the law and regulations.”

“Troops in the theater are always on high alert and will resolutely defend national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace and stability,” the Eastern Theatre Command of the People’s Liberation Army said in a statement. “Troops in the theater are always on high alert.”

It was regarded as “normal” by Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense, which stated that its forces had been monitoring the United States aircraft as it traveled south via the Taiwan Strait.

When the United States Navy announced that a Poseidon had flown across the strait in October, China stated that it had dispatched fighter planes to monitor and warn the aircraft.

On January 13, Taiwan will have presidential and legislative elections, which China has portrayed as a choice between war and peace. Taiwan is now preparing for these elections.

Over the previous four years, China has increased its military operations in the region around Taiwan. This has included staging two rounds of massive war exercises over the past six months.