National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with UK Secretary for Defense Grant Shapps on Wednesday, per a White House readout, focusing on preventing regional escalation in the Middle East. During their closed-doors meeting, they spoke about the US-UK cooperation on a variety of issues, including ongoing efforts to defend against Iranian-backed Houthi attacks targeting merchant and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea. The UK’s Ministry of Defense stated that the Houthis have conducted more than 30 attacks on international shipping since mid-November. NSA Sullivan and Shapps also reviewed the…