Yemen’s leadership has renewed calls for the international community to adopt a firmer stance against the growing threat posed by the Iran-aligned Houthi group, warning that any revival of the country’s political process depends on eliminating that threat and restoring economic and living conditions.
The call came during separate meetings held by Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) member Aidarous al-Zubaidi and Foreign Minister Shaya Mohsin Zindani with US Chargé d'Affaires Jonathan Peccia and French Ambassador Catherine Corm-Kammoun. The talks covered the political, economic and humanitarian situation in Yemen, as well as the Houthis’ escalating military activity across multiple fronts.
According to state media, Zubaidi told the French envoy that comprehensive peace cannot be achieved while the Houthis - designated by several countries as a terrorist organization - remain active.
“No lasting peace is possible while an internationally-designated terrorist militia that rejects peace continues to threaten Yemen’s stability, regional security and international shipping,” Zubaidi was quoted as saying.
He also condemned the Houthis’ recent attacks on oil export facilities in the provinces of Hadramout and Shabwa, saying the strikes had crippled the economy and worsened the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Zubaidi has called on the international community to step up support for the country’s leadership and government, particularly in vital economic sectors such as oil and gas.
He urged protection of strategic infrastructure from Houthi attacks to allow the resumption of exports and help stabilize the economy.
Speaking during a meeting with Corm-Kammoun, Zubaidi stressed the need to shield vital installations from strikes by the Houthis, whose repeated attacks have paralyzed the energy sector and deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
According to Yemen’s state media, the French envoy reaffirmed Paris’s support for efforts to achieve peace and expressed her country’s commitment to funding development and humanitarian projects in partnership with the Yemeni government and international agencies.
She said alleviating the suffering in Yemen would require a coordinated global response.
In a separate meeting with Peccia, Zubaidi discussed the latest developments in Yemen and efforts to bolster state institutions and ease the burden on civilians in government-held areas.
The talks also focused on the Houthis’ continued military escalation and troop mobilization across multiple fronts, as well as their growing record of human rights abuses, including killings, arbitrary detentions and torture of civilians.
Zubaidi said the government's success in managing liberated areas and restoring public services and security is a critical step toward reclaiming state authority - one that deserves robust international support.
“The government’s ability to normalize conditions in freed territories marks meaningful progress on the path to restoring the state and must be backed by the international community,” Zubaidi was quoted as saying by state news agency Saba.
Peccia, in remarks carried by the same agency, reaffirmed Washington’s support for Yemen’s leadership and government. He said the US is closely monitoring the situation and working with regional and international partners to advance the political process and end the humanitarian crisis triggered by the Houthi-led conflict.
Meanwhile, Zindani welcomed the recent US sanctions on individuals and entities linked to Houthi financing during his own meeting with Peccia. He described the move as a concrete step toward curbing the group's access to funds and limiting what he called "Houthi terrorism."
