Western Countries Demand Iran to Pressure the Houthis... Europe Prepares for Naval Mission

A ship sails in the Arabian Sea near Bab al-Mandab, off Aden, Yemen, in December. (EPA)
A ship sails in the Arabian Sea near Bab al-Mandab, off Aden, Yemen, in December. (EPA)
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Western Countries Demand Iran to Pressure the Houthis... Europe Prepares for Naval Mission

A ship sails in the Arabian Sea near Bab al-Mandab, off Aden, Yemen, in December. (EPA)
A ship sails in the Arabian Sea near Bab al-Mandab, off Aden, Yemen, in December. (EPA)

European countries are discussing the details of a naval mission to protect ships in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, while diplomatic efforts continue to try to reduce the escalation and prevent the expansion of the conflict in the region.
The European Union is seeking to persuade Iran to use its “influence” with the Houthis to urge them to stop their attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which had prompted the United States and Britain to launch limited strikes on the group in Yemen.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met with his Iranian counterpart, Amir Hussein Abdollahian, on the sidelines of the Davos meetings on Wednesday, according to a British Foreign Office statement.
Cameron called on Iran to “use its influence with the Houthis to prevent further threats” in the Red Sea, describing their attacks as “illegal and unacceptable.”
Wednesday witnessed another European-Iranian meeting, which brought together Enrique Mora, the European Union’s Deputy Commissioner for Foreign Policy and the EU representative in the nuclear negotiations with Iran, with Ali Bagheri Kani, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and Iran’s representative in the nuclear file. Informed diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting focused on persuading Iran to ask the Houthis to stop their attacks on ships. Although the sources described the meeting as “good,” they pointed to diverging Western and Iranian views.
The sources added that Bagheri Kani did not make any commitment to seek to influence the Houthis, but on the other hand, they indicated that Mora also refrained from exerting pressure by threatening additional sanctions on Iran if it did not contribute to reducing the escalation in the region.
While European diplomatic efforts continue with the aim to stop the escalation with Iran, EU countries are preparing to join the British-American naval mission to protect ships in the Red Sea. Two days ago, EU ambassadors approved an initial plan to form a naval mission to protect vessels from Houthi attacks. The EU foreign ministers are expected to discuss the plan on Monday and give final approval to it.
European countries will work to determine the legal frameworks to expand this maritime mission, and define its work precisely. Discussions are underway to deploy at least three European frigates, which will escort ships in the Red Sea and deter any attacks.
The Netherlands announced its readiness to participate in the mission by sending a frigate. The Dutch Minister of Defense said on Thursday that discussions were ongoing on the matter, adding that it was necessary to obtain authorization in Parliament.
Germany is also planning to send a frigate to participate in the naval mission, but it also needs Parliament’s approval.
The head of the Defense Committee in the German Parliament, Marie-Agnes Strack Zimmermann, said that Germany’s participation in the naval mission aims to protect commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that the Houthi attack on ships “is an attack on freedom of trade, and must be confronted.”

 

 

 

 



32 Killed in New Sectarian Violence in Pakistan

Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN
Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN
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32 Killed in New Sectarian Violence in Pakistan

Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN
Police officers stand guard near their vehicles during a protest by Pakistani Shiite Muslims against an attack on passenger vehicles in Kurram, in Dera Ismail Khan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, 22 November 2024. EPA/SAOOD REHMAN

At least 32 people were killed and 47 wounded in sectarian clashes in northwest Pakistan, an official told AFP on Saturday, two days after attacks on Shiite passenger convoys killed 43.

Sporadic fighting between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan has killed around 150 over the past months.

"Fighting between Shiite and Sunni communities continues at multiple locations. According to the latest reports, 32 people have been killed which include 14 Sunnis and 18 Shiites," a senior administrative official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Saturday.

On Thursday, gunmen opened fire on two separate convoys of Shiite Muslims travelling with police escort in Kurram, killing 43 while 11 wounded are still in "critical condition", officials told AFP.

In retaliation Shiite Muslims on Friday evening attacked several Sunni locations in the Kurram district, once a semi-autonomous region, where sectarian violence has resulted in the deaths of hundreds over the years.

"Around 7 pm (1400 GMT), a group of enraged Shiite individuals attacked the Sunni-dominated Bagan Bazaar," a senior police officer stationed in Kurram told AFP.

"After firing, they set the entire market ablaze and entered nearby homes, pouring petrol and setting them on fire. Initial reports suggest over 300 shops and more than 100 houses have been burned," he said.

Local Sunnis "also fired back at the attackers", he added.

Javedullah Mehsud, a senior official in Kurram said there were "efforts to restore peace ... (through) the deployment of security forces" and with the help of "local elders".

After Thursday's attacks that killed 43, including seven women and three children, thousands of Shiite Muslims took to the streets in various cities of Pakistan on Friday.

Several hundred people demonstrated in Lahore, Pakistan's second city and Karachi, the country's commercial hub.

In Parachinar, the main town of Kurram district, thousands participated in a sit-in, while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims, mainly Shiite civilians.