Sanaa issues fresh warning to Riyadh, threatens to reduce Saudi oil exports to zero

SANAA, July 20 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based governmental leadership delivered a new series of strongly worded messages to Riyadh following the military statement announcing a ban on maritime navigation to Saudi Arabia.

The statements also hinted at efforts aimed at reducing Saudi oil exports to zero.

In this context, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Sana’a’s Supreme Political Council, commented on the military statement announcing the maritime navigation ban on Saudi Arabia, which took effect on Monday evening, by issuing a warning message to Riyadh.

Al-Houthi limited his message to the phrase: “He who warns has fulfilled his duty,” which he posted on his post on X.

For his part, Hizam al-Assad, a member of Yemen’s Shura Council and the Political Bureau of Ansarullah, stated in a post on X that Sanaa’s military position is defensive in nature and intended to secure the rights of the Yemeni people and end the blockade imposed on them.

“We will seek to reduce Saudi oil exports to zero within the framework of the equation: blockade for blockade,” he further added.

“As for any consequences arising from a global increase in oil prices, full responsibility rests with the Saudi regime, which is subordinate to the United States, along with the U.S. administration, as they are the parties that imposed the blockade and brought the situation to this stage.”

Meanwhile, Mohammed Abdulsalam, chief of negotiating delegation for Sanaa, explained that the decision by the Yemeni armed forces to impose a maritime navigation ban on Saudi Arabia was not a sudden step, but rather the culmination of years during which Riyadh had been given repeated opportunities to respond peacefully to Yemen’s legitimate demands.

According to Abdulsalam, Saudi Arabia instead chose to delay and evade fulfilling its obligations.

In remarks posted on X, he noted that Saudi Arabia had been granted ample time to address the consequences of the war and blockade. However, despite the immense suffering endured by the Yemeni people in the hope of achieving a peaceful resolution and avoiding military escalation, Riyadh ignored all initiatives aimed at reaching such an outcome.

He further argued that, since the 2022 truce, the Saudi government has treated the consequences of eight years of war as though they were purely an internal Yemeni matter, while attempting to evade its direct responsibility for the military campaign and blockade, and relying on the passage of time to avoid meeting its obligations.

Abdulsalam stressed that Sanaa’s military measures are intended to exert pressure on Saudi Arabia to fulfill its commitments, thereby enabling Yemen to benefit from its national resources and address outstanding humanitarian issues, foremost among them the payment of public-sector salaries, the lifting of the blockade, and the completion of the prisoner exchange file.

He reaffirmed that Sana’a will not retreat from demanding what it describes as the legitimate rights of the Yemeni people.

Earlier, the Sanaa-based Armed Forces announced the enforcement of a maritime navigation ban on Saudi Arabia, invoking the principle of “blockade for blockade.

They stated that the measure would take effect immediately upon the issuance of the military statement.

The armed forces also reiterated their full readiness to pursue all available options, warning that any further escalation by the Saudi enemy would be met with a comprehensive and severe escalation in response.

AA