• FO warns hostile acts against country’s vessels will invite response
• Calls for dialogue, diplomacy, regional de-escalation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the continued threats issued by Yemen’s Houthis militia against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, warning that it had the right to take all necessary measures in self-defence if its “maritime interests” were targeted in “any hostile act”.
The warning came after the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and threatened to close the Bab al-Mandeb strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints, in retaliation for what they described as the longstanding Saudi blockade of Yemen and a recent attack on Sanaa airport.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree described the move as an “eye for an eye” response, while the group has reportedly deployed missiles and drones in the area.
Against that backdrop, the Foreign Office made it clear that Pakistan would not tolerate any action targeting its maritime interests.
“Pakistan reaffirms that any hostile act against Pakistani-flagged vessels or Pakistani maritime interests will be regarded as a grave threat to Pakistan’s national security and sovereign interests,” it said.
“Consistent with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, Pakistan reserves its right to take all necessary measures, including lawful use of force, in the exercise of self-defence to protect its maritime assets and national interests,” it added.
The Bab al-Mandeb strait is a critical artery for Pakistan’s trade and energy supplies. A significant share of the country’s oil imports transits the Red Sea route, although no Pakistani vessels have so far been reported stopped or targeted.
Beyond its own maritime interests, Pakistan also strongly condemned Houthi threats against commercial shipping linked to Saudi Arabia. “Pakistan unequivocally condemns the continued threats issued by the Houthi militia against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” the Foreign Office said.
It said such actions “threaten regional security, undermine freedom of navigation, challenge the rules-based maritime order and jeopardise the uninterrupted flow of global commerce”.
The statement said that threats against commercial shipping and trade with Saudi Arabia violated established principles of international law and expressed particular concern over reports that vessels engaged in lawful commerce with the kingdom were being threatened.
The Foreign Office also voiced concern over what it described as attempts to widen the conflict by drawing Saudi Arabia into it.
“Pakistan is also deeply concerned over attempts to drag the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the conflict in the Middle East and reiterates its unwavering support for the security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity of the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it said.
Pakistan’s statement was by far the strongest issued by any non-Arab country on the latest Houthi threats.
Unlike most countries, which have confined themselves to expressing concern over freedom of navigation, Islamabad explicitly warned that any hostile act against Pakistani vessels could invite a response in self-defence.
The unusually forceful response also marks Pakistan’s strongest public warning to the Houthis since the group began attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea in late 2023.
It also comes less than a year after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement in September 2025, under which aggression against one country is regarded as aggression against the other.
Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026