Yemen’s Houthi rebels have agreed to permit tugboats and rescue ships to aid a Greek-flagged oil tanker engulfed in flames in the Red Sea due to “humanitarian and environmental concerns,” as stated by Iran’s U.N. Mission on Wednesday. The Pentagon disclosed on Tuesday that efforts by an unidentified “third party” to send two tugboats to the distressed vessel named Sounion were obstructed by the Iranian-backed Houthis. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder condemned the Houthis for showing “a blatant disregard for human life and the potential environmental disaster at hand.”
The recent attack on the Sounion marked a significant escalation by the Houthi rebels, who have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea corridor amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. These assaults have disrupted the flow of $1 trillion in trade passing through the region and impeded aid deliveries to conflict-affected Sudan and Yemen. Iran’s U.N. Mission alleged that the Sounion was transporting oil to “the Israeli regime.”
Ryder expressed concern that the Sounion was leaking oil into the Red Sea, a vital ecosystem housing coral reefs and diverse wildlife. The oil tanker, holding 150,000 tons of crude oil, poses a significant navigational and environmental threat, according to the European Union’s Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea. Iran’s U.N. Mission revealed that multiple undisclosed countries had approached the Houthis to request a temporary truce for the entry of rescue vessels into the incident area, which was accepted by the group, formally known as Ansar Allah.
The specifics regarding when the truce would be implemented were not provided in the statement issued by the Iranian Mission. The Sounion had been attacked numerous times last week, leading to a French destroyer from Operation Aspides rescuing its crew of 25 individuals and four private security personnel and transporting them to Djibouti. Since the outset of the conflict in Gaza in October, the Houthis have targeted over 80 vessels using missiles and drones, resulting in the seizure and sinking of some ships and casualties among sailors.
The rebels claim to target vessels linked to Israel, the U.S., or the U.K. to pressure an end to Israel’s Gaza campaign, although many of the attacked ships have minimal or no association with the conflict, including those headed towards Iran. The actions by the Houthis have raised concerns about the safety of maritime activities in the Red Sea region, with the international community urging for measures to safeguard both human lives and the marine environment.