The Head of the Yemeni Republican Party, Eng. Mohammed Ahmed Juzailan, and Head of the Party’s Media Department, Mr. Yasser Al-Ma’alimi, met on Thursday, September 17, 2026, with Ms. Roxaneh Yelena Bazergan, Head of the Political Affairs Section at the Office of the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, to discuss the latest political, military, and humanitarian developments in Yemen amid the escalating actions of the Iran-backed Houthi militia and the growing threats they pose to security and stability in Yemen and the region, as well as to international maritime navigation.
The meeting reviewed developments in Yemen and what the Party described as the Houthis’ dangerous and continued escalation. The Party stressed that the group no longer treats war and peace as an exclusively Yemeni matter, but has instead turned Yemen and its maritime waterways into a platform for advancing an Iranian agenda that threatens regional and international security.
Bab al-Mandab and International Maritime Security
The issue of Bab al-Mandab and the security of international maritime navigation was at the center of the discussions. The Republican Party leadership warned of the risks posed by the continued expansion of the Houthi militia toward strategic maritime routes, stressing that any attempt to control or threaten navigation through Bab al-Mandab represents a development that goes beyond the Yemeni crisis and directly affects international trade and shipping through one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
The Party noted that protecting international maritime navigation cannot be separated from addressing the source of the threat. It called for support for the legitimate Yemeni government’s efforts to restore state authority throughout the country, stressing that any approach focused solely on containing attacks, without addressing the group’s ability to control territory, ports, and strategic maritime routes, would leave the roots of the escalation intact.
The Party further stated that, in its view, the current escalation reflects the connection between the Houthis’ military decision-making and Iran’s regional project. It called on the international community to treat the threat to international maritime navigation as an urgent security and strategic threat that cannot be separated from the suffering of Yemenis inside the country as a result of the Iranian-backed Houthi coup, and that requires a firm international response rather than being treated as merely another negotiating issue.
Attacks on Civilians and Escalation against Saudi Arabia
The meeting also addressed attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against civilians inside Yemen, including violations, destruction of infrastructure, and threats to civilian lives, as well as the group’s military escalation against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Republican Party leadership condemned what it described as Houthi attacks targeting civilian objects in the Kingdom, as well as the escalation targeting Islamic holy sites in Makkah Al-Mukarramah, stressing that extending the conflict to cities, civilian infrastructure, and holy sites represents a highly dangerous escalation.
The Party emphasized that the continued international approach centered on general calls for restraint between the parties, in its view, does not correspond to the nature of the current escalation and fails to address the fundamental problem posed by the continued use of armed force by the Houthi militia to impose a fait accompli outside the institutions of the state.
Call for a Clear International Position and Comprehensive Deterrence
The Republican Party called on the UN Special Envoy and the United Nations to explicitly and clearly condemn Houthi violations, stressing the need to move beyond a policy of crisis management toward an approach based on comprehensive deterrence, while linking the political process to ending the causes of the war, dismantling the manifestations of the armed coup, and restoring the Yemeni state and its sovereignty throughout the country.
The Party stressed that any sustainable political process must be based on clear international references, foremost among them the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2216, in a manner that supports the restoration of state institutions and ends armed control outside the framework of the state.
It also called for support to the Yemeni government and state institutions and for enabling them to restore their authority throughout the country, putting an end to parallel authorities and armed power centers operating outside the state framework and preventing Yemen from being used as a platform for regional agendas that threaten the security of Yemen and the wider region.
The Party stressed that sustainable peace cannot be achieved while an armed group remains capable of obstructing state institutions, threatening neighboring countries and international maritime navigation, and imposing its terms by force. It said that restoring the state represents, according to the Party’s vision, the fundamental pathway toward a stable political settlement.
Humanitarian Consequences and Displacement
The meeting also addressed the serious humanitarian consequences of the Houthi escalation, particularly the deteriorating conditions of internally displaced people, growing humanitarian needs, threats to civilians in areas affected by the fighting, and the consequences of the expanding scope of military operations.
The Republican Party leadership emphasized the importance of the United Nations fulfilling its humanitarian responsibilities toward civilians and displaced people affected by the Houthi escalation, noting recent UN reports indicating that more than 100,000 people have been internally displaced in recent months.
The Party also reiterated that achieving genuine and sustainable peace requires building a Yemeni state capable of exercising its sovereignty throughout the country and ending the Houthis’ ability to use Yemen as a platform for regional conflict and to threaten the security of Yemenis, neighboring countries, and international maritime routes.
