The United States accused the Iranian regime for prolonging the conflict in Yemen by supplying Houthis with destabilizing weapons. For the second time in a week, the White House issued a statement on Wednesday expressing its deep concerns about Houthis’ attempts to escalate the war by attacking a Saudi oil tanker.
Washington indicated that it is “very concerned about the Houthis’ latest attempt to escalate the war in Yemen, this time by attacking a commercial vessel while it transited one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the Bab al-Mandab, in international waters.”
The statement indicated that a significant portion of global trade moves through the Bab al-Mandab every day, including key energy and food supplies.
“In January, the Houthis publicly threatened to attack international commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea, and launched this attack near the vital port of Hudaydah.
Tuesday's "attack coincides with the UN’s High-Level Pledging Event in Geneva, where the Saudi-led Coalition’s contributed $930 million,” the statement added.
The White House called on Houthis to cease further escalation and “demonstrate their commitment to a peace process by engaging in constructive dialogue.”
This is the second statement that the White House has issued in a week condemning Iran and Houthis, asserting on Saturday that “Houthis have responded to efforts by the United Nations to reinvigorate a political process in Yemen by threatening to conduct more reckless missile attacks.”
It reiterated that such attacks demonstrate that “Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is continuing to disrupt a nascent political process, escalate hostilities, and destabilize the region by proliferating weapons to the Houthis and others.”
The statement concluded by asserting that United States will remain steadfast in helping its partners defend themselves, providing desperately needed humanitarian assistance, and supporting an inclusive United Nations process to help resolve the conflict and bring peace and security to the region.
