G7 ministers urge Iran to stop arming Houthis as UK offers refuelling support to Saudi Arabia

Diplomatic condemnation at the United Nations

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations issued a joint declaration on 21 September 2026 demanding that Iran immediately halt the supply of weapons and military assistance to Houthi forces in Yemen. The statement was released following an informal meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, attended by representatives from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, and the European Union. The ministers stated that Iranian weapons transfers violate past United Nations Security Council resolutions and create dangerous regional instability. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also attended part of the ministerial session to discuss security in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific alongside the Middle Eastern crisis. The ministers expressed their full solidarity with the internationally recognized government of Yemen and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

British military assistance to Saudi Arabia

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that the United Kingdom will provide time-limited, defensive military assistance to Saudi Arabia to help counter aerial attacks launched by Houthi forces. Speaking to reporters on 21 September 2026 while travelling to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Burnham stated that London received an official request for assistance from Riyadh. Under the agreement, the Royal Air Force will deploy Voyager tanker aircraft within days to provide air-to-air refuelling for Saudi fighter jets. British officials noted the operation could last for several weeks and is restricted to defending Saudi airspace against drone and missile strikes rather than participating in offensive sorties. The mission adds to the Sky Sabre air defence missile system that the British military previously stationed on Saudi territory.

Escalation along the Red Sea corridor

Hostilities intensified in September 2026 between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, ending a period of relative calm that had persisted under a 2022 truce. Earlier in September, Houthi forces seized the port of Mokha and strategic islands in the Red Sea, enabling the group to monitor traffic passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Houthi authorities declared a maritime blockade against Saudi-linked commercial shipping and launched missile and drone strikes against energy infrastructure inside the Kingdom. On 18 September 2026, thousands of Houthi supporters staged public demonstrations in Sanaa to celebrate the territorial advances along the coastline. The renewed fighting forced thousands of Yemeni civilians to flee their homes across the coastal region.

We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith.

Trade disruptions and strikes in Mokha

The Bab el-Mandeb strait links Europe to Asia via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, typically accommodating approximately 12% of total global trade. Saudi crude oil shipments face growing pressure because Iranian forces have also restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula. In response to Houthi advances, Saudi airstrikes struck Mokha, killing at least 6 people, including 2 children and 1 woman, while injuring 8 others according to casualty figures released by Houthi-affiliated media. Saudi officials did not issue an immediate statement regarding the Mokha strikes. Tehran maintains that its support for the Houthi movement is strictly political, while Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York.