The United States and its allies are studying options to respond to Houthi attacks on Israel-bound ships in the Red Sea, including conducting strikes in Yemen, diplomats said.

Yemen's warring parties are considering a broader ceasefire to allow for crucial peace talks. However, the Iran-backed Houthis' actions in support of Hamas in Gaza are jeopardising the process, Yemeni officials have said.

“Western security agencies and diplomatic missions ... are studying together with other intelligence agencies how to respond to this increasing threat in the Red Sea, including possibly conducting targeted air strikes,” said one western official involved in the Yemen file.

Two other western diplomats involved in “shuttle diplomacy” to avoid a spillover of the war in Gaza confirmed the details of the talks between the US and its allies.

The Iran-backed Houthis, a Hamas ally, have recently attacked several ships in the Red Sea, claiming they were linked to Israel. In the months running up to the current war, there had been relative optimism over prospects of a peace deal in Yemen, which has been ravaged by one of the world's most significant humanitarian crises.

The US last week said it was in talks with other countries to set up a task force after a spate of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on ships in the Red Sea.

Tehran responded by warning that any proposed multinational task force would face "extraordinary problems".

"If they make such an irrational move, they will be faced with extraordinary problems," Iran's Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told the official Iranian Student News Agency.

He said "nobody can make a move in a region where we have predominance".

“Further escalation in Yemen and the Red Sea sea won’t only delay such a possible peace deal that the United Nations has been juggling for nine years to achieve, but further will also threaten the current already fragile ceasefire within Yemen and between Houthis and Saudis," said one of the diplomats.

The Houthis and the internationally recognised government of Yemen have primarily agreed to the proposed road map for peace.

“The agreement is expected to be announced soon,” a Yemeni official earlier said.

"It should lead to a ceasefire and comprehensive political negotiations before a lasting peace. The only issue that might cause a delay is the Houthis' actions in the Red Sea."

A second Yemeni official warned “some western capitals, which have condemned Houthi attacks against trade ships, have questioned the timing and requested further consultations before announcing it".

“The Houthis are arguing that their actions are unrelated to the attacks."

Fighting was curtailed by as UN-brokered ceasefire in April last year, despite the truce expiring six months later. In September, Saudi Arabia hosted Houthi representatives for several days of talks, in the first public official visit by a Houthi delegation to the kingdom since 2015.