A number of Republican and Democratic congressional figures called on the Houthis to immediately end their attack on Marib.
“The ongoing Houthi assault on Marib is a catastrophe that threatens to further exacerbate the devastating humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We call on the Houthis to immediately end this siege,” a joint statement read.
The officials urged all parties to the conflict to agree to and uphold a ceasefire, stressing that “an immediate end to the fighting is urgently needed to prevent further suffering innocent Yemenis.”
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Jim Risch explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that confiscating thousands of Iranian weapons intended to be shipped to Houthis is another evidence of Tehran’s destabilizing influence in the region.
Risch indicated that this influence exists through Tehran's support for the Houthis, the Assad regime in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and militias in Iraq.
Last week, the US Navy announced it seized an arms shipment of thousands of assault weapons, machine guns, and sniper rifles hidden aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea, apparently bound for Yemen to support the Houthis.
A number of Republican Senators also criticized the Biden administration's efforts to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, without setting conditions on Iran's support for the Houthis.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton said in a tweet: “Offering unilateral concessions only encouraged Houthi aggression, a lesson the administration should remember with the Iranian regime.”
Cotton accused Iran of being responsible for the attacks in Iraq, Yemen, and Israel this week, saying “now is absolutely the wrong time to lift sanctions and appease the ayatollahs.”
He said it is no surprise that the Navy confiscated weapons destined for Yemen, noting that “the US Navy seized another shipment of Iranian weapons bound for Yemen should come as no surprise. Iran has sought to fuel civil war in Yemen since at least 2013.”
For their part, Democratic Senators highlighted the Houthis’ role in the Yemen war.
Senator Chris Murphy, who was on a visit to the region, accompanied by US Special Envoy Tim Lenderking, said: “The ball is really in their court, and the Houthis — if they persist with this offensive — will have to answer to the world for the humanitarian catastrophe that will be created.”