Pakistan Urges Houthis to End Ship Attacks, Condemns Attempts to ‘Weaponize’ Bab al-Mandab
By Shahnoor Saqib — SCN News
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 — Pakistan has called on Yemen’s Houthis to immediately halt attacks on merchant vessels and seafarers in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, warning that disruption of one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints threatens regional security, global trade and energy supplies at a time when shipping through the nearby Strait of Hormuz is also under pressure.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, delivered the warning at a UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting convened by Bahrain under the theme “Safe Seas, Shared Security: Protecting Freedom of Navigation in an Evolving Security Environment.” Islamabad accused the Houthis of trying to use their position around the strategic strait to pressure international shipping and said commercial vessels should not become casualties of regional conflicts.
“Pakistan strongly condemns the nefarious designs of Houthi militia to weaponize Bab-Al-Mandab,” Ahmad said, referring to attacks on merchant shipping and seafarers. He called for the “immediate cessation” of what he described as provocative acts, warning they could have serious consequences for maritime security and regional peace.
The intervention marks an increasingly explicit Pakistani position as the conflict surrounding Yemen spills across both land and sea. Islamabad has previously emphasized negotiations and regional de-escalation, but its latest UN statement directly condemned Houthi actions while reaffirming what Ahmad called Pakistan’s “unwavering support” for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and prosperity. Pakistan stood in “complete solidarity” with the Saudi leadership and people, he said.
The statement comes amid a rapidly deteriorating security environment around Bab al-Mandab, the narrow passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The Houthis have advanced along Yemen’s western coastline and have reportedly taken strategically important territory and islands, increasing concern over their ability to threaten shipping entering or leaving the Red Sea. A UN briefing this week described conditions in and around the strait as increasingly volatile.
Those concerns intensified further on Saturday as the Houthis launched another series of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities said a ballistic missile targeting Riyadh was intercepted, while additional attacks were reported against locations including Yanbu, Taif, Baysh and Farasan. The Houthis claimed strikes on Saudi targets, including an Aramco facility at Yanbu, although some of their claims had not been independently verified.
For Pakistan, however, the maritime dimension extends beyond its defence relationship with Riyadh. Ahmad linked the Bab al-Mandab crisis directly to disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that instability at both chokepoints could have consequences far beyond the Middle East. Pakistan relies heavily on seaborne commerce and imported energy, making the security of routes connecting the Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and wider Indian Ocean a direct economic interest rather than solely a Saudi or Yemeni security issue.
Shipping data underline the pressure on both routes. Reuters reported that only four commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, far below its 10-day average of 16, while 23 commodity vessels passed through Bab al-Mandab, compared with a 10-day average of 26. Some vessels have also switched off tracking transponders amid heightened security concerns.
The simultaneous pressure is particularly important because the two straits sit on different ends of the principal maritime system connecting Gulf energy exporters with European and global markets. Hormuz provides the main exit for oil and gas from the Gulf, while Bab al-Mandab connects the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal. Serious disruption at both therefore risks forcing longer voyages, raising insurance and freight costs and placing additional pressure on oil, fuel and food prices.
Ahmad said instability had already sent energy prices higher and increased fears over global food insecurity. He noted that Hormuz carries a major share of internationally traded crude oil as well as fertilizer shipments and called for de-escalation, protection of ships and crews and restoration of normal passage. Pakistan’s position, he said, was that international shipping “should not become a casualty of conflict and strife” but remain a driver of global commerce.
Saudi Arabia used the same UN meeting to argue for a stronger international response. Saudi Ambassador Abdulaziz Alwasil said Houthi attacks threatened Yemen, Saudi territory, global trade and supply chains and accused the movement and allied militias of pursuing a policy of “choking the straits.” He said Riyadh remained committed to de-escalation while reserving its right to defend its territory and citizens.
China also expressed concern about the escalation while emphasizing a diplomatic solution. Chinese representative Sun Lei called for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, opposed attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure and said lasting freedom of navigation ultimately required an end to armed conflict and a return to negotiations.
Pakistan is attempting to maintain that diplomatic track even as its language toward the Houthis becomes sharper. Ahmad pointed to Islamabad’s mediation between Iran and the United States and said Pakistan would continue seeking negotiated solutions capable of restoring normal conditions “at sea and land.” Separately on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and stressed uninterrupted energy supplies and the safe and rapid passage of ships, with the two expected to meet during the UN General Assembly in New York.
That creates a delicate regional position for Islamabad. Pakistan has pledged strong support for Saudi security while retaining diplomatic relations with Iran, which is aligned with the Houthis but says it does not control their actions. Pakistan has also urged Tehran to use its influence to restrain Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, according to the Financial Times.
The latest UN statement therefore broadens Pakistan’s argument beyond defending Saudi territory. Islamabad is now explicitly presenting the security of Bab al-Mandab — alongside Hormuz — as an international economic and maritime-security issue. Its message is that neither chokepoint should be turned into leverage in regional warfare, and that attacks on merchant vessels risk exporting the costs of the conflict to countries far beyond the Middle East.