U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, during his meeting with his British counterpart Grant Shapps at the Pentagon, said that the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is "as strong as ever."

The meeting between the two ministers comes following the coordinated strikes carried out by the United States and its allies against military targets in areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen last January, which aimed to reduce the Houthis' ability to launch further attacks against ships operating in international waters, according to the British news agency "PA Media."

Austin thanked Shapps for the assistance provided by the United Kingdom in the Red Sea, adding that "the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is as strong as ever."

Austin said, "The United Kingdom's partnership is pivotal in countering these reckless and unlawful attacks on military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea."

He added, "We can also see Iran's hand here, as it supplies the Houthis with advanced conventional weapons, intelligence information, and expertise."

He said, "The United States and the United Kingdom are strongly committed to the rules-based international order and defend freedom of navigation."