By GAN News Desk
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone Tuesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss escalating tensions in Yemen and broader regional security concerns, according to a State Department statement.
State Department principal deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said the two officials exchanged views on developments affecting stability in the Middle East, including the situation in Yemen, where fragile political and military balances have been under renewed strain.
The call followed reports that the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen carried out what it described as a “limited” airstrike at the port of Mukalla, targeting two ships allegedly linked to the United Arab Emirates. Details of the strike, including damage and casualties, were not immediately clear, and the coalition did not publicly elaborate on the operation.
Tensions in Yemen have risen in recent weeks after the Southern Transitional Council, a powerful secessionist group backed by the UAE, seized control of the eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahra earlier this month following clashes with forces loyal to the internationally recognized Yemeni government. The takeover has deepened divisions within the anti-Houthi camp and raised concerns about a renewed cycle of conflict.
Yemen has been mired in war for nearly a decade, with the Saudi-led coalition intervening in 2015 to support the government against the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. Although large-scale fighting has declined since a U.N.-brokered truce in 2022, sporadic violence and political rivalries continue to threaten prospects for a lasting settlement.
Pigott said Rubio reaffirmed U.S. support for efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote a negotiated political solution in Yemen. The secretary also underscored the importance of maintaining regional security and protecting international shipping routes, particularly in and around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Saudi Arabia remains a key U.S. ally in the region, and Washington has sought to balance its strategic partnership with Riyadh while encouraging diplomacy to end the Yemen conflict, which has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The State Department said the two sides agreed to remain in close contact as developments in Yemen and the wider region continue to unfold.
