Yemeni Government Calls for Ending UN’s Hodeidah Mission

FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
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Yemeni Government Calls for Ending UN’s Hodeidah Mission

FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
FILE PHOTO: Ships are seen at the Hodeidah port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad

The Yemeni legitimate government has said that the Stockholm Agreement has collapsed, accusing Iran-backed Houthi militias of violating pacts and deals.

The government called for the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) to stop functioning and its headquarters relocated after the killing of Colonel Mohammed al-Solaihi in Hodeidah.

In a tweet, Yemeni Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hadhrami said: "The martyrdom of Colonel Mohamed Solaihi, while performing his duty as part of the UN mission, proves that the (Houthi) group has no convention and that the Hodeidah deal is inapplicable."

“We won't forget Solaihi and his killers," the Minister tweeted.

He also called for UNMHA’s work to stop until the murderers are held accountable, and its headquarters relocated into a neutral zone in Hodeidah to be freed from the Houthi grip.

Government liaison officer Solaihi was shot on March 11 by a Houthi sniper at an observation point in Hodeidah.

He was taken to a hospital in Aden where he succumbed to his wounds on Friday.

Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that the Stockholm deal has collapsed.

He criticized UN envoy Martin Griffiths for not daring to blame the party responsible for shooting Solaihi.

He also described the Hodeidah Agreement as an illusion marketed by the UN envoy and the world. “This agreement has not achieved anything,” Badi explained.

On Saturday, Griffiths described the murder of Solaihi as a “deplorable and unacceptable attack.”

In a tweet, Griffiths expressed his deepest condolences for the tragic death of Solaihi.

"He will be remembered for his service in support of bringing peace to his country,” the envoy said.

The Yemeni government’s senior negotiator in the joint team for the implementation of the Hodeidah deal, Mohamed Aidha, announced the death of the Stockholm Agreement.

In a tweet, he wrote that the “agreement is an illusion pact.”



US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
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US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a Houthi-linked petroleum smuggling and sanctions evasion network across Yemen and the United Arab Emirates in fresh action targeting the Iran-backed militant group.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said the two individuals and five entities sanctioned on Tuesday were among the most significant importers of petroleum products and money launderers that benefit the Houthis.

"The Houthis collaborate with opportunistic businessmen to reap enormous profits from the importation of petroleum products and to enable the group’s access to the international financial system," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender.

"These networks of shady businesses underpin the Houthis’ terrorist machine, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt these schemes."

Among those targeted on Tuesday was Muhammad Al-Sunaydar, who the Treasury said manages a network of petroleum companies between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates and was one of the most prominent petroleum importers in Yemen.

Three companies in his network were also designated, with the Treasury saying they coordinated the delivery of approximately $12 million dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum products with a US-designated company to the Houthis.

Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

In January, Trump re-designated the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization, aiming to impose harsher economic penalties in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime area.

In May, the United States announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.

The Israeli military attacked Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday in its latest assault on the militants, who have been striking ships bound for Israel and launching missiles against it.