The United States and Pakistan on Wednesday condemned Yemen’s Houthi rebels for threatening commercial shipping in the Red Sea after the group announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed Iran for the Houthi rebel group's naval blockade against Saudi Arabia but hoped it could be de-escalated.
The Houthis are armed and significantly influenced by Iran but are independent of Iran’s supreme leader, unlike the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and several Iran-backed Iraqi militias.
