Leaked: US expects ‘return’ from Egypt after bombing Yemen to secure Suez shipping

The United States aims to extract compensation from Egypt in exchange for restoring commercial shipping access in the Red Sea, according to leaked text messages between senior US administration officials coordinating recent US airstrikes on Yemen.

The messages were sent on an encrypted messaging application in a group to which Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was added — apparently by accident.

Participants in the group discussed the policy implications of the US Air Force strikes on the Houthis in Yemen in the days leading up to the launch of the bombardment on March 15, including the economic benefit Egypt and Europe would accrue if the attacks secure and ultimately allow commercial ships to resume navigation in the Red Sea without threat of attack.

To avoid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis against vessels in the Red Sea, many global shipping companies have diverted cargo from the shipping route, which is the fastest link between Europe and key manufacturing centers in Asia.

Companies began to resume shipping during the short-lived ceasefire. But when Israel diverted from the truce framework, imposing a total blockade on the Gaza Strip while demanding Hamas immediately release the prisoners who remain in the group’s custody, the Houthis resumed their attacks and traffic was interrupted again.

With Israel’s war on Palestinians again raging in full force, the diversions continue to impact Egypt’s already faltering economy, disrupting the foreign currency inflows it derives from tolls levied on vessels passing through the Suez Canal.

In the article, Goldberg recounts being added in March to a small group conversation on Signal populated by some of the most senior figures in Trump’s administration.

The Atlantic editor-in-chief, a journalist described by a Jewish Currents profile as “perhaps the single most representative figure of the liberal Zionist establishment in all of media,” has had an illustrious career in the American media establishment — from reporting in favor of the US invasion of Iraq to backing the Iran nuclear deal under the Obama administration — but does not enjoy a close relationship with the current Republican administration.

The article, published Monday, describes the “Houthi PC small group,” to which Goldberg was added alongside 18 other people. 

Goldberg wrote that the chat’s members included either a coterie of senior National Security Council officials, or accounts pretending to be those officials, with names including Vice President JD Vance; Steve Witkoff, the official leading Trump’s Middle East and Ukraine negotiations; Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff; and someone identified only as “S M,” which Goldberg takes to stand for Stephen Miller.

A National Security Council spokesperson cited in the piece confirmed to Goldberg the authenticity of the Signal group, describing the conversation thread as “a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials.”

The coordination in question staged the US military operations launched earlier this month on the Houthis in Yemen.

Participants in the group discussed the position of White House staff and Trump himself on the attacks, how soon the US should conduct them and the potential domestic fallout. 

The advantages of restoring “freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea; restoring “deterrence;” the perceived importance of the attack among American voters; the potential of Israel launching its own airstrikes on Yemen; and of Israel resuming its aggression on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were all held up for consideration in the group chat. 

Several participants also raised the question of both Europe and Egypt benefitting economically from the US intervening to restore shipping via the Red Sea, and of how the US should recoup on these benefits.

It was the participant named S M, whom Goldberg concluded was Stephen Miller, homeland security advisor and White House deputy chief of staff for policy, who said this in the clearest terms. 

“The president was clear: green light,” read screenshots of the messages from “S M,” which the Atlantic published with Goldberg’s article.

“But we soon make clear to Egypt and Europe what we expect in return. We also need to figure out how to enforce such a requirement. EG, if Europe doesn’t remunerate, then what? If the US successfully restores freedom of navigation at great cost there needs to be some further economic gain extracted in return.”

An earlier message from an account named Michael Waltz, the current national security advisor to the White House, stated that “per the president’s request we are working with DOD and State to determine how to compile the cost associated and levy them on the Europeans.”

Europe has faced substantial challenges due to the disruption of navigation in the Red Sea since October 2023, when the Houthis began launching airstrikes on vessels navigating to or from Israel through the channel as part of an offensive in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians there.

A 2024 European Parliament dossier noted that shipping diversions away from the Gulf of Aden were causing cargo to take the Indian Ocean route, adding an additional 10-14 days to the journey and disrupting global supply chains or causing some companies to halt production altogether.

“If the situation persists or worsens, it could further affect energy supplies and prices, all this potentially contributing to higher inflation,” said the dossier.

Egypt, meanwhile, has borne the economic brunt of the Houthis’ campaign, with fewer ships taking the route and paying the fees associated with traversing the Suez Canal, causing state losses worth around US$6 billion, according to officials.