WASHINGTON: Japan, the United States and 11 other countries on Wednesday issued a statement warning Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi militants against further attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

“Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing,” the statement, released by the White House, said, warning that “the Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”

Britain, Germany, Australia, Bahrain and Singapore also joined the statement.

A senior US government official told reporters online that there will likely be no more warning, suggesting that countermeasures may be taken if attacks continue.

The statement also said that the attacks on vessels “are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”

“International shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding significant cost and weeks of delay to the delivery of goods and ultimately jeopardizing the movement of critical food, fuel and humanitarian assistance throughout the world,” the statement said.

JIJI Press