Pakistan PM condemns Houthi attack on Saudi tankers in Red Sea

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday (July 23) strongly condemned a Houthi attack on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and expressed "unwavering support" for the Gulf nation's security and territorial integrity.

Sharif held a telephone conversation with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office.

The call came after the attack early on Thursday by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels who had earlier announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block Saudi vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for what they described as Riyadh's blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

During the call, Sharif expressed Pakistan's condemnation, "in the strongest possible terms, of the dastardly attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea".

He reiterated “Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Kingdom’s security, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and prosperity”, according to the statement.

Sharif added that such actions were "totally unacceptable, constituted a clear violation of international law, threatened freedom of navigation and commercial shipping, and undermined regional peace, security, and stability".

The prime minister reaffirmed Islamabad's complete solidarity with Saudi Arabia and said that he, along with army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and the entire Pakistan, stands "firmly and resolutely with the Saudi leadership and brotherly people of the Kingdom at this critical time”.

He assured the Crown Prince that Pakistan would continue to work very closely with Saudi Arabia, as well as with the international community, in support of peace, security, stability, and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime commerce in the Red Sea, Strait of Hormuz and the wider region.

The Crown Prince appreciated Pakistan’s steadfast support and the close fraternal ties between the two countries.

The attack by the Houthis came amid renewed tensions in West Asia, with concerns over disruptions to key shipping routes and energy supplies following the continuing conflict between the US and Iran.