The Houthi group in Yemen has consented to a temporary ceasefire allowing rescue operations for the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion, which was damaged in the Red Sea, according to Iran’s mission to the United Nations in New York. Iran’s U.N. mission stated that after several countries requested the ceasefire for humanitarian and environmental reasons, the Houthis agreed to permit tugboats and rescue ships to access the area where the incident occurred.
The tanker Sounion, which came under attack near Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah last week, was reportedly still ablaze and leaking oil, as per a Pentagon spokesperson’s comments on Tuesday. The Houthis, who have control over much of Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attack. They have been targeting ships as part of their support for Palestinians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Despite initial reports of a truce, a Houthi spokesperson later clarified to Reuters that there was no formal ceasefire, but they had agreed to allow the towing of the tanker. However, efforts to send tugboats for the salvage operation faced challenges as the Houthis threatened to attack the rescue ships, highlighted by Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder on Tuesday. Iran’s U.N. mission criticized certain countries for their negligence in addressing the potential environmental disaster, suggesting that their lack of action contributed to the difficulty in managing the situation.
