The China Mail - UN Security Council condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers and territory and seizing swathes of Yemen's Red Sea coast, which is vital for Saudi oil exports, causing energy prices to jump.

"The members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest terms, continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children," said the rotating president of the Council, French UN envoy Jerome Bonnafont, delivering a joint statement.

The Security Council "further stressed the importance of acting in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and of upholding navigation rights and freedoms."

The body "demanded the Houthis immediately cease their military escalation and their attacks impacting civilians and civilian objects," according to the statement.

Houthi gains in recent weeks cemented the hold of Iran and its allies on the two waterways that the wider Gulf, including top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, relies on to ship out its oil and other fuel products.

Washington and its allies, including Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, accuse Iran of backing the Houthi militant movement.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian denied that on Thursday, claiming "the Houthis are responsible for their own actions."

A.Kwok--ThChM