G7 foreign ministers have called on Iran to end its alleged arming and support of Yemen’s Houthis, warning that the group’s escalating attacks could further undermine international trade and fuel global instability.
The appeal came as fighting intensified along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and Saudi Arabia responded with air strikes.
Foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States issued the joint statement after meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The ministers condemned what they described as the “unacceptable continued strikes” by the Houthis in Yemen and against Saudi Arabia. They urged the group to immediately halt military actions, threats and attacks against civilian shipping and return to the political process in good faith.
The G7 said the Houthi actions represented a dangerous pattern of escalation that risked exacerbating the conflict, undermining international trade and creating wider global economic instability.
The ministers also reaffirmed their support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government and their commitment to the country’s unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
Houthi advances raise energy security concerns
The latest G7 warning comes after the Houthis made significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline, including around the strategic port city of Mokha and areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Bab al-Mandab is a critical maritime chokepoint connecting the southern Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. The latest fighting has raised concerns about the security of a major global trade route and added pressure to already strained energy markets.
The reported Houthi gains have also heightened concern over regional energy security, particularly because the wider conflict is unfolding alongside tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, another vital route for global oil shipments.
Thousands of people have fled the renewed fighting, with the United Nations estimating that more than 120,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the recent surge in violence along the Red Sea coast.
Saudi strikes kill six in Mokha
At least six people, including two children and a woman, were reportedly killed in Saudi air strikes on Mokha, according to Houthi-affiliated media cited by AFP. Eight others were reported injured.
Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, had not immediately commented on the reported strikes.
The Saudi strikes followed an escalation in Houthi attacks, including a reported assault on Riyadh on Saturday that marked the group’s first attack targeting the Saudi capital in years.
The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward cities and infrastructure in southwestern Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, while Saudi Arabia has responded with hundreds of air strikes in Yemen.
UK and France offer defensive support
Britain has announced limited military support for Saudi Arabia amid the escalation. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK would provide defensive air-to-air refuelling support using a single Royal Air Force Voyager aircraft based at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Burnham said the decision followed a Saudi request for military support and was approved on the advice of Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband. The British government has described the assistance as defensive.
A diplomatic source also told AFP that France had pledged support and was prepared to help secure Saudi energy infrastructure through a “strictly defensive approach”.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has separately requested military support from US President Donald Trump, according to US media reports.
Trump weighs response to Houthi escalation
Trump has reportedly spent weeks considering whether to respond to the Saudi request for assistance against the Houthis.
The US president previously told Fox News that he was in “deciding mode” as he considered his next steps in the wider war involving Iran. On Sunday, US embassies across the Middle East issued fresh security alerts as fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed coalition intensified.
The New York Times reported on Monday that Trump had wavered over whether to intervene directly in the Saudi-Houthi conflict.
Houthis reject accusations of Iranian weapons support
The Houthis describe themselves as part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” opposing Israel, the United States and Western powers, alongside groups including Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement.
Iran has previously denied supplying weapons to the Houthis, saying it supports the group politically rather than providing military assistance.
The G7’s latest statement therefore places renewed diplomatic pressure on Tehran as the Yemen conflict expands and concerns grow over the security of the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and global energy supplies.
