UN Security Council Demands Houthis To Stop Red Sea Attacks While China And Russia Abstain From Voting
Amid the rapidly escalating tensions in the Red Sea, United Nation Security Council has passed a resolution demanding Houthis to stop their attack on container ships that passes through Red Sea and to release Japanese-operated Galaxy Leader, which was seized last month.
Out of the 15 members, 11 voted in support calling to “immediately cease all attacks, which impede global commerce and navigation rights and freedoms as well as regional peace”. Four other members, Russia, China, Algeria, and Mozambique abstained from voting. Though China and Russia have veto powers as they are the permanent members of the Council, the countries refrained from vetoing. The key provision of the resolution against Houthis noted that the United Nations member states have right “to defend their vessels from attack, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms”, in accordance with international law.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States’ ambassador to UN, in a statement said that, “the world’s message to Houthis today was clear: Cease these attacks immediately…with this resolution, the Council has lived up to its responsibility to help ensure the free flow of lawful transit through the Red Sea continues unimpeded”.
On her X (formerly twitter), she said that Iran has been encouraging the Houthis, the Yemeni group, in their “destabilizing actions”. She said Iran has choice, “to continue providing or withhold its support for the Houthis, without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden”.
We must not overlook the root of the problem: Iran has long encouraged the Houthi’s destabilizing actions in the region.
Iran has a choice: to continue providing or withhold its support for the Houthis, without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike…
— Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (@USAmbUN) January 10, 2024
Washington accuses Iran of providing support for the Houthi attacks, which include advanced missiles and drones. Tehran refused the allegations. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the Yemeni group’s leader called the UN resolution as “political game”.
