(Adnkronos) – Italy has underlined its solidarity with Saudi Arabia after Iran-aligned Houthis fired missiles at the kingdom last week, accusing it of having bombed an airport under their control and declared an immediate blockade on Monday – a new phase in long-running war with the Saudi-led coalition which has backed Yemen’s internationally recognised government in Aden since 2015.
“I renewed with the Saudi foreign minister @FaisalbinFarhan Italy’s solidarity in the face of the Houthi attacks, which we firmly condemn,” Tajani wrote on X after phone talks with bin Farhan on Tuesday.
“We must avoid a new crisis in the Red Sea, which, together with the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, would severely test global maritime routes,” Tajani went on.
The Houthis attacked 178 vessels in the Red Sea during a two-year blockade after the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023, especially in the Bab-el-Mandeb chokepoint, the southern gateway to the Suez Canal, which Saudi Arabia has sought to use as an alternative shipping route to the key Strait of Hormuz oil conduit since the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February.
“I therefore confirmed Italy’s commitment on the front lines for freedom of navigation, also through the (European Union’s) Aspides mission (in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden) for a de-escalation in the Middle East, and for dialogue between Iran and the United States,” Tajani added.
“A concrete commitment, starting with the (US-brokered) talks between Israel and Lebanon hosted in Rome (last week), up to the meeting of the Global Alliance for the two-state Israel-Palestine solution, which we will host at the end of July,” he concluded.
Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude oil to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea on Tuesday after Houthi threats, as a widening Middle East conflict disrupted shipping through two of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints, raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.
The Houthis, which control Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, claim that Saudi Arabia is besieging the Yemeni people with a maritime blockade – allegations condemned by Riyadh, which said it would take “all necessary measures” to protect its ships.
