Agencies | New York:
The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations have strongly condemned continued Houthi strikes in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia, calling for an immediate halt to military actions and attacks on civilian shipping.
In a joint statement issued after an informal meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the foreign ministers of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States described the strikes as “unacceptable” and warned of their wider implications for regional and international security.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministers said.
The G7 called on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, threats and attacks against civilian shipping and return to the political process in good faith. The ministers said the situation in Yemen poses a threat to regional stability, global energy security and maritime security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The ministers also urged Iran to end its arming and support of the Houthis, alleging that such assistance is contrary to previous UN Security Council resolutions. They warned that continued Iranian support represented a dangerous pattern of escalation that could undermine international trade and contribute to global instability.
The latest escalation comes after a period of relative calm following the 2022 UN-brokered ceasefire between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
The renewed fighting has also heightened concerns over the security of vital maritime routes, particularly the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which significant international trade and energy shipments pass. The G7 said maintaining freedom of navigation and maritime security was essential to preventing disruptions to global supply chains.
