Pakistan says 3 citizens killed in Houthi attack on ship

Three Pakistani nationals were among those killed when Iranian-backed Houthis attacked a ship off Yemen, the first known deaths from the rebels' attacks on shipping in the latest bout of fighting that has raised fears of war expanding in the region.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday condemned the attack by Houthi rebels on the ship in the Bab Al Mandeb strait, saying three Pakistanis had been killed in the attack and another wounded. A total of six people were killed in the attack on Tuesday.

"Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” Dar said in a post on X.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down by Iran and a US blockade on Iranian ports, there has been a renewed focus on the Red Sea and Bab Al Mandeb strait at Yemen’s southern tip, which is an alternate route for Saudi Arabia to ship its oil.

The attack came as part of a growing number of Houthi strikes against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea.

Many of the attacks have been focused on the government-held port city of Mokha on the Red Sea. Overall, dozens of government troops and civilians have been killed in attacks since last week, according to Yemen's military.

Fears are growing that the renewed violence could reignite Yemen’s civil war following a 2022 truce, and open a new front in the Middle East war.

Ishaq Dar met Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam in Islamabad on Wednesday as Pakistan seeks to resume peace negotiations between Iran and the US.

Their meeting came a day after Pakistan sent Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Tehran for talks with Iran’s top leaders.

An interim deal to end the fighting reached in mid-June is set to expire Monday. The ceasefire collapsed last month as the US and Iran exchanged strikes over more than two weeks before pausing.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters Wednesday the June deal remains valid and the deadline could be extended. "We are not closing the chapter,” Andrabi said.

Associated Press