[23/07/2026 06:35]

BRUSSELS-SABA
The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas, said that the attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militias on an oil tanker in the Red Sea is "unacceptable and illegal" and could further inflame the already tense situation in the region, stressing the need to ensure free navigation without obstacles in the Strait of Hormuz as well as the Red Sea.

Kallas added in a statement that the Houthi militias' recent threats to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia pose a direct threat to regional stability and a serious escalation.

She called for stopping all actions that endanger international navigation and the lives of sailors, and for complying with international law as embodied in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as UN Security Council resolutions 2216 on Yemen and 2722 and 2826 regarding freedom of navigation.

The EU official confirmed that the EU's naval operation (Aspides) remains firmly committed to protecting freedom of navigation for everyone in the Red Sea and the surrounding international waters, in line with its defensive mission and operational plan.

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