The Iran-backed Houthis are looking to replicate Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz by disrupting shipping in Bab Al Mandeb strait, Yemen's Foreign Minister has said.
“The Houthis want to copy the Iranian model and this will shut down two main straits, the gateways into the Gulf and Red Sea,” newly appointed Afrah Al Zouba told journalists at the Yemeni embassy in Riyadh on Monday.
The Houthis have been escalating attacks in the Red Sea, threatening oil exports from Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, the group claimed to have targeted Saudi Aramco's oil facilities in Jizan and Yanbu but neither Saudi Arabia nor the company confirmed that the attack was successful.
Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes on what it said were Houthi military facilities and said it would protect commercial shipping, accusing the Houthis of serving foreign agendas.
Maritime traffic in the Bab Al Mandeb strait has more than halved since the Houthis' declared an embargo on Saudi shipping in the waterway on July 20. The route through the strait to the Red Sea is a crucial corridor for much of Europe’s energy supplies.
The escalation has threatened to bring back conflict to Yemen, where war killed hundreds of thousands of people after the Houthis stormed the capital Sanaa in 2014. This prompted Saudi Arabia to intervene at the head of an Arab coalition.
Pakistan, which has a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, has also threatened to respond if the attacks persist.
US President Donald Trump said America and Iran were engaged in talks but warned of a return to the fighting if a deal was not reached. The US and Iran had been exchanging fire for nearly 14 days but halted attacks on Saturday. US envoy to the UN Mike Waltz said this was to give diplomacy “some space”.
A Pakistani source told The National that messages exchanged between the US and Iran include the situation in the Red Sea as well as Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Ms Al Zouba is Yemen's first woman foreign minister. She was appointed on Friday after a cabinet reshuffle. She had previously served as minister of planning and international co-operation.
