G7 Demands Iran Halt Support for Houthi Rebels Amid Global Security and Trade Warnings

G7 foreign ministers have issued a stern call for Iran to halt its arming and backing of the Houthis in Yemen, cautioning that these actions threaten international trade and global stability. Representatives from the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US made the demand following a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministers stated.

The G7, representing seven major industrialised democracies, has placed growing emphasis on the broader economic and security ramifications tied to the US-Iran war, which include dangers to energy supplies and maritime shipping. The Houthis, an Iran-backed Yemeni movement governing Sanaa and extensive territories across northern and western Yemen, have grown into a significant regional power after enduring years of conflict against Saudi-backed forces.

While Tehran denies directly commanding their operations, Iran supplies the Houthis with weapons, funding, training, and technical assistance. Consequently, the group has evolved into a vital instrument of Iranian regional influence. Since the onset of the US-Iran war in February, Houthi dominance over Yemen’s Red Sea coast has gained heightened importance, granting Tehran an additional lever of pressure against Gulf states and vital energy corridors.

“We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith,” the ministers declared.

This declaration comes in the wake of a substantial Houthi push along Yemen’s western coast, featuring the capture of Mokha and key islands that grant the faction effective control over the Bab Al Mandeb strait. This waterway has gained heightened significance for Saudi energy exports following Iranian restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, establishing the Bab Al Mandeb strait as a crucial alternative passage for Gulf oil heading to international markets.