The Yemen crisis was discussed at a UN Security Council session, where the US and UK described Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels in the Red Sea as a threat to regional stability and international maritime shipping.
Jennifer Lusita, the US deputy representative to the UN, said the Houthis were carrying out a systematic operation to undermine maritime transport and waterways.
US calls for the attacks to stop
Lusita said ships linked to Saudi Arabia and critical facilities in the energy sector had been targeted. She said the Houthis had carried out drone attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia, killing civilians.
The US official said missile attacks had also been carried out against areas controlled by Yemen's internationally recognized government. Lusita accused the Houthis of cooperating with Iran and conducting activities that could destabilize the region, adding that Washington supports the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia.
Lusita called on the Houthis to stop attacking countries in the region and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. She said the operations were drawing Yemen into a broader regional conflict.
UK calls on Iran to end its support
Kate Foster, the UK's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said Yemen and the region had experienced a dangerous escalation of violence in recent weeks.
Foster said the Houthis had attacked Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles and targeted international maritime shipping in the Red Sea. She also alleged that Iranian aircraft had violated Yemen's airspace.
Foster called on Iran to stop supporting the Houthis, saying that support threatened stability in Yemen and the region. She also urged the Houthis to focus on peace efforts rather than expanding the conflict and to ease the hardship faced by Yemenis.
Foster said the UK was committed to the security and sovereignty of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as well as regional stability.
Tensions rise along the Red Sea route
Tensions in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have increased since July 20, 2026. The Houthis announced that they would impose a naval blockade on ships linked to Saudi Arabia, Yemen's neighbor.
Saudi Arabia formed a defensive maritime coalition to protect freedom of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The coalition includes the US, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, the Maldives, Bangladesh and New Zealand.
During the same period, fighting between forces aligned with the Yemeni government and the Houthis resumed in the provinces of Marib, Al Jawf, Al Dhale and Taiz. Yemen is facing a severe humanitarian and economic crisis.
Background to the war in Yemen
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2015. Iran is accused of supporting the Houthis.
The war between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis began about 12 years ago. The Houthis have controlled several provinces and cities, including the capital, Sanaa, since September 21, 2014.
