Deputy Foreign Minister: Maritime Navigation Ban on Saudi Regime Establishes Equation of “Siege for Siege”

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Abdulwahid Abu Ras, affirmed that the Saudi enemy’s aggression and siege on Yemen by land, sea, and air over the past 12 years—a burden that would weigh down even the mightiest mountains—has weighed heavily on the Yemeni people, driving them to famine as a result of the criminality and arrogance of the Saudi regime.

In a statement , the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out that the decision taken today to ban maritime navigation on the Saudi regime establishes the equation of “siege for siege,” regardless of the cost.

He explained that the Saudi regime’s decision to deprive the Yemeni people of their wealth from oil and gas will be met in kind today, and all regional and international actors must understand this. Any dissonant voices that seek to provide cover for the Saudi regime will be swept away.

He said: “Anyone who is keen to achieve security and peace must work diligently to achieve it for everyone, foremost among them the Yemeni people. Anyone who wishes to grant a handful of Saudi criminals the right to confiscate the rights of the Yemeni people is their partner in injustice and criminality. Anyone who gives themselves the right to confiscate the freedom and dignity of others will pay a heavy price for it, and the coming days and weeks will confirm that.”

Abu Ras stated that the Republic of Yemen has reached a full conviction that the cost of action is far less than the cost of waiting for the unknown.

He affirmed that the decision to ban maritime navigation on the Saudi enemy came in response to the demands of the Yemeni people, who spoke their word last Friday and declared resoundingly that they will no longer allow the continuation of aggression and siege on Yemen, considering this a step within Yemen’s legitimate right to self-defense, as guaranteed by all international customs, conventions, and laws.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that the Saudi regime delusionally believed that continuing its siege on Yemen would achieve what it failed to achieve through military force. Instead of proceeding with signing and implementing the roadmap, it resorted to procrastination, tightening the noose on the Yemeni people, and evading the requirements of peace. During the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle, it bet on Israeli-American aggression on Yemen first, and then on American-Israeli aggression on Iran second—but its bets have all failed.

He called on the Saudi regime to learn from the lessons of more than a decade of aggression and siege on Yemen, and to realize that the Yemeni people are unbowed and unbreakable, holding the Saudi regime fully responsible for any consequences of escalation.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs renewed his affirmation that Sana’a has consistently demonstrated its commitment to achieving a just, honorable, and sustainable peace for the Yemeni people at all past negotiation rounds, and that it was the Saudi regime and America that obstructed this.

He added: “Yemen’s message is clear. Anyone who wishes to read it will find our ears open to what it says. Anyone who wishes otherwise—that is their concern, and we have grown accustomed to that over the years.” He affirmed that the demand of the Republic of Yemen is as clear as the sun at midday.