US special envoy for Yemen to visit Gulf for talks

WASHINGTON

The US special envoy for Yemen will set out on a Gulf tour this week amid Iranian and Houthi attacks on international shipping.

"US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is traveling to the Gulf this week to continue intensive US diplomacy and regional coordination to safeguard maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in the midst of Iranian and Houthi attacks on international shipping threatening almost two years of joint progress to end the war in Yemen,” the US State Department said Monday.

"The United States is working with key maritime partners to secure safe passage for global shipping," it added.

Lenderking will meet with regional, international and UN partners in the Gulf to discuss the necessary steps to secure a durable cease-fire and launch an inclusive, UN-led Yemeni-Yemeni political dialogue, it said, adding the envoy is working with the UN, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and other international partners to support a resolution to the Yemen conflict as soon as possible.

"The Special Envoy will emphasize the need to contain the Israel-Hamas conflict while pursuing the United States’ priority of Yemeni-Yemeni political dialogue to end the war and set Yemen on a firm course for peace and stability," the statement said.

A wider conflict in the Middle East does not serve US interests nor those of its regional partners, who support a lasting peace in Yemen, it added.

The maritime attacks coincide with Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have been ongoing since the Palestinian group Hamas launched a cross-border attack against Israel on Oct. 7.

At least 15,899 Palestinians have been killed and more than 42,000 others injured in the attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7.

The Israeli death toll stands at 1,200, according to official figures.