Arab nations hail Oman-mediated ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthis, US

ISTANBUL

Arab countries on Wednesday welcomed an Oman-mediated ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthi group and the US to end attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced the ceasefire Tuesday, after President Donald Trump said the Houthi group will not carry out attacks on commercial ships.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry voiced hope that the ceasefire deal will positively impact navigation in the Red Sea.

Egypt said it hopes the deal will “provide a constructive impetus to ending the Israeli war on Gaza and advance efforts to establish security and stability in the region."

Qatar also hailed the Omani efforts to reach the ceasefire, expressing hope that the deal will "contribute to the freedom of navigation and allow the free flow of international commercial shipping."

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said it hopes the ceasefire will "contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.”

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry articulated a similar statement, describing the deal as "an effective step towards avoiding more tensions and conflict in the region."

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry welcomed the successful Omani mediation, saying Muscat’s efforts "come in the frame of supporting the constructive dialogue and the peaceful settlements to the region's crises."

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday hailed the agreement to protect “maritime navigation and international trade” and reaffirmed its support for “all efforts aimed at reaching a political solution to the Yemeni crisis that ensures the security and stability of Yemen and the region.”

The Houthi group in Yemen confirmed the ceasefire with Washington, saying it has no relation with its confrontation with Israel in support of the Palestinian people.

Yemen has faced an intensified US military campaign since mid-March, including around 1,300 air and naval strikes, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties, according to the Houthis.

The group have targeted ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where more than 52,600 people have been killed, most of them women and children, during the course of Israel’s indiscriminate war.

The group halted attacks when a Gaza ceasefire was declared in January between Israel and Hamas, but resumed them after Israel's renewed airstrikes on Gaza in March.