NEW YORK: The UN hopes talks with the Houthi militia to access a decaying tanker moored off Yemen’s coast will reach a conclusion soon.
The FSO Safer is anchored north of the port of Hodeidah and has more than a million barrels of crude oil on board. Experts have warned of an environmental catastrophe if the vessel breaks up.
The Houthis have blocked the experts from reaching the ship, which has been described as a ticking time bomb.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the talks are hoping to resolve logistical and security arrangements.
“We hope these discussions will come to a conclusion soon so we can get a timeline for deployment,” Farhan Haq said.
He added that a technical meeting with the government of Yemen has been organized to brief them on ongoing efforts to deploy a UN mission at the earliest opportunity.
UN says Houthi decaying tanker talks are ongoing
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UN says Houthi decaying tanker talks are ongoing
- The FSO Safer is anchored north of the port of Hodeidah and has more than a million barrels of crude oil on board
- Experts have warned of an environmental catastrophe if the vessel breaks up
Latest US sanctions target Houthi funding networks, Treasury says
- Since 2023, the Houthis have launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with Israel
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration issued fresh sanctions on Friday further targeting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and the transfer of oil products, weapons and other so-called dual-use equipment that it said helped fund the group.
The action targets 21 individuals and entities as well as one vessel, including some alleged front companies in Yemen, Oman and the UAE, the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said in a statement.
“The Houthis threaten the United States by committing acts of terror and attacking commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement.
The move builds on previous Treasury action to pressure the Houthis “vast revenue generation and smuggling networks, which enable the group to sustain its capability to conduct destabilizing regional activities,” including the Red Sea attacks, the department added.
Since 2023, the Houthis have launched numerous assaults on vessels in the Red Sea that they deem to be linked with Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war on Gaza.
Tehran’s regional sway has been weakened by Israel’s attacks on its proxies, including on the Houthis in Yemen. (Reporting by Susan Heavey and Daphen Psaledakis; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )
