Houthi militia escalates attacks on oil tankers, revealing its nature as a terrorist organization controlled by Iran, says Information Minister.

Yemen’s Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Muammar al-Eryani, has condemned the Houthi militia’s recent attacks on the Greek oil tanker MT DELTA SOUNION, carrying 150,000 tons of crude oil. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels targeted the vessel with a series of attacks, causing it to drift and its engines to fail, which led to the evacuation of its crew. The tanker was left vulnerable to sinking or exploding approximately 85 nautical miles from the Hodeidah Governorate. This incident marks the ninth attack on chemical and oil tankers since last November, allegedly in support of Gaza, representing a systematic terrorism threat with potential for an unprecedented environmental, economic, and humanitarian disaster.

Reckless Disregard for Environmental and Economic Impact

Al-Eryani highlighted in a press statement the Houthi militia’s repeated targeting of oil and chemical tankers, reflecting their disregard for the catastrophic consequences of potential oil spills in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. These actions threaten not only Yemen’s economic, agricultural, and fishing sectors but also the coastal regions of Yemen and neighboring countries, the marine environment, and the biodiversity of the islands in the area.

An oil spill in these waters could endanger Yemeni fish stocks, expose millions in coastal cities to toxic gases, halt the operations of Yemeni ports, pollute Red Sea desalination plants, cut off their supplies, and destroy the fishery resources that provide livelihoods for 1.7 million Yemeni citizens. It could also devastate the region’s biodiversity and ecological systems.

International Response and Houthi Militia’s Nature

Al-Eryani’s statements reveal the serious escalation and highlight the Houthi militia’s nature as a terrorist organization acting as a pliable tool to further Iran’s agenda, with little regard for Yemen’s political, economic, and humanitarian conditions. He criticized the international community’s failure to address the serious threats posed by the militia to maritime security and the free flow of global trade. Al-Eryani called for a reevaluation of strategies to counteract the militia’s terrorist activities.

Calls for International Action

The Yemeni minister urged the international community to swiftly designate the Houthi militia as a “global terrorist organization,” impose sanctions through asset freezes, travel bans on its leaders, and enhance legal coordination among countries to pursue its members, supporters, and financial/logistical backers. He also emphasized the need for international cooperation in intelligence sharing, combating financing and recruitment, and enforcing international resolutions on preventing the sale or supply of arms and dual-use materials to the militia.

This plea for action underscores the urgent need for a coordinated global response to the Houthi militia’s escalating terrorist activities and the threat they pose to regional stability and safety.

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