Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The Republic of Yemen has called on the Security Council to adopt a more integrated and proactive role in addressing maritime threats, warning of Iran’s militarization of international navigation in Bab al-Mandab through the Houthi group.
Yemen’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah al-Saadi, emphasized in Yemen’s speech during an open discussion session on the safety of waterways that these attacks reflect the direct link between the militias and the Iranian regime.
He stressed that the Yemeni state’s restoration of sovereignty over its entire national territory represents the “true and only guarantee” for securing international freedom of navigation in this strategic location, through which approximately 15% of global trade and 12% of oil supplies pass.
Al-Saadi explained that using international waterways as a bargaining chip or a means of political blackmail is completely unacceptable and contradicts the UN Charter and the Law of the Sea. He noted that any disruption to navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab directly impacts global economic stability and increases the cost of living for populations, necessitating a coordinated and comprehensive international response that goes beyond temporary solutions.
In its statement, the Yemeni government called for the activation of international accountability mechanisms against entities that supply the militias with weapons and military technology in clear violation of Resolution 2216, while focusing on supporting the capacity-building of the Yemeni Coast Guard to enable it to perform its sovereign role.
It also called for strengthening the role of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) and building upon existing regional frameworks, such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct, to ensure the deterrence of violations that threaten regional and international peace and security.
