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Yemen's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaya Muhsin al-Zindani warned Friday that if the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is left in the hands of forces acting as proxies for external powers, specifically the Iran-backed Houthis, it would pose a direct threat to international peace, security and global trade, speaking on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
Zindani drew a direct line between Iran's Hormuz threats and the Houthi-controlled strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.
"We have heard that the Iranian regime is recently threatening, after the Strait of Hormuz, to also close Bab al-Mandeb. This indicates they may use the Houthis as a tool to threaten the strait and the Red Sea. Iran is far from Bab al-Mandeb, it makes these threats through the Houthis," he said.
He noted that the recent Red Sea incidents had exposed the Houthis' true nature.
"The recent developments in the Red Sea once again showed that the Houthis are acting as Iran's proxy, not serving the interests of the Yemeni people. In the same way, they are not serving the Palestinian cause as they claim," Zindani said.
Zindani underscored the global stakes of Yemen's instability.
"Yemen has a strategic position that the world values. The security deficit in Yemen has negative repercussions for all regional security, maritime security and international trade. The recent events showed the strategic importance of the Red Sea," Zindani said.
"They also showed that when Bab al-Mandeb, like the Houthis, who act as Iran's proxies, is left in the hands of a force that cooperates with any regime or country, it constitutes a threat to international security," he said.
Zindani said the Houthis had systematically undermined UN peace efforts throughout the conflict.
He said the Yemeni government was focused primarily on a peaceful resolution, but added: "Although the government prioritizes peace, this does not mean it will not resort to other options when all doors to peace are closed in order to secure state sovereignty."
He expressed confidence that Yemen's future would be better.
"The people of Yemen have been suffering from war for 10 years. This will not continue. The state, legitimacy and the right of the Yemeni people to live in peace and stability will prevail. We are working to end the war," Zindani added.
"This situation will not drag on much longer," he said.
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