Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that he had spoken on the phone with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and “condemned, in the strongest possible terms, the Houthi militia’s attacks against Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea”.

“Such actions are unacceptable, violate international law, threaten freedom of navigation and undermine regional peace and security,” he said.

“I reaffirmed Pakistan’s complete solidarity with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and conveyed that I, together with Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and the entire Pakistani nation, stand firmly and resolutely with the Saudi leadership and the brotherly people of the Kingdom at this critical time,” he said.

He added that the two agreed to continue working “very closely to maintain regional peace, security, stability, and the uninterrupted flow of lawful maritime commerce through the Red Sea as well as the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region”.