THE UK and the US have stepped up pressure on Houthi rebels as the Yemeni movement targets commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea, disrupting a critical maritime trade route. UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said that Britain was willing to take direct action against the Iranian-aligned group to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, reports London’s Financial Times. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Shapps said: ‘If we don’t protect the Red Sea, it risks emboldening...