G7 calls on Iran to halt arms supplies to Houthis in Yemen

The Group of Seven has called on Iran to stop supplying weapons to Houthi forces in Yemen, issuing the demand in a joint statement released ahead of the opening of the United Nations General Assembly.

In the statement, the G7 condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia "in the strongest terms," describing the group's continued strikes as a serious escalation in the years-long Yemen conflict. The bloc said the intensifying fighting in Yemen poses a direct risk to global energy security, given the country's proximity to key Red Sea and Gulf shipping routes used to move oil and other goods.

The G7 statement singles out Iran's role in arming the Houthis, a Yemeni movement that has controlled large parts of the country including the capital Sanaa since a civil war erupted in the mid-2010s. Western governments have long accused Tehran of supplying the group with missiles, drones and other military equipment, allegations Iran has repeatedly denied.

The timing of the statement, released just before world leaders gather in New York for the UN General Assembly's general debate, signals that the Yemen conflict and wider regional tensions involving Iran are likely to feature prominently in discussions on the sidelines of the assembly.

Saudi Arabia, which has been targeted by Houthi missile and drone attacks in recent years, has previously led a military coalition intervening in the Yemeni conflict. Attacks on Saudi territory have periodically raised fears of a wider regional confrontation involving Iran and its allies across the Middle East.

The G7 did not immediately detail any new punitive measures against Iran over the arms allegations. It is not yet clear how Tehran will respond to the statement, or whether the appeal will have any immediate effect on the fighting in Yemen.