Yemen's Vice President: Red Sea Crisis Solution Lies on Land

At an on-the-record roundtable with U.S. and international journalists in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Vice President, Abdullah Al-Alimi Bawazir, stated that the threat to shipping in the Bab al-Mandab strait began on Yemeni soil and can only be ended there. He urged the international community to support the Yemeni state in restoring its authority.

Al-Alimi Bawazir argued that the Red Sea crisis cannot be solved at sea alone and that support should be directed towards the Yemeni state rather than fighting a war on its behalf. According to the Vice President, the threat to Yemen began the day the militias took control of the capital, Sanaa, and the security of the strait is intrinsically linked to the security of Yemeni territory.

He recalled that the Yemeni government warned the UN General Assembly as early as 2015 that a Houthi takeover, backed by Iran, would not remain within Yemen's borders. Now, an armed group operating outside the state's context can dictate terms on the security of an international trade route.

The Vice President stressed that international actions, such as U.S. economic and military measures against the Houthi group, are important but not sufficient for victory on their own. A true solution requires supporting the Yemeni state to restore its territorial authority. He concluded that Yemen's stability is an investment in the security of the region and the world.