Attacks in Middle East seas escalate tensions

Tensions in two critical shipping lanes remained high after four crew members of an Egyptian-owned cargo vessel were killed in a suspected attack by Yemen's Houthi militia in Bab al-Mandab, while US forces disabled a Panama-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman amid a US blockade.

The Yemeni Transport Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the vessel, identified as the Egyptian-owned Tihamah, was hit by three ballistic missiles while sailing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, triggering a fire and damaging the ship.

The statement said three Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian sailor were killed, while four other crew members were wounded. A member of a rescue team was also injured during efforts to reach the vessel and evacuate the casualties. The Tihamah was carrying food supplies, the ministry said.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar extended condolences to the families of the crew members who were killed.

"Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a noncombatant commercial vessel. Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea," said Dar.

He said they were in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognized government of Yemen, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it.

"I have directed our embassy in Riyadh to immediately coordinate with the concerned authorities, and to strongly pursue all necessary measures for the retrieval and repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased Pakistani nationals and for the provision of all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani national," said Dar.

'Direct threat'

Yemen Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement that the incident represents a new escalation in the Houthi group's "systematic attacks on Yemeni interests, facilities, ports and vital supply lines, and a direct threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and international trade".

The Bab al-Mandab Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's vital routes for international trade and energy shipments.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Houthi group said it had targeted what it described as a Saudi military equipment transport ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as Saudi-backed forces in the government-held areas of Mocha and Marib, Xinhua News Agency reported, but it did not identify the vessel or provide more details about the operation.

In a separate incident, US Central Command forces said they disabled the steering gear of the Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova as the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman and violate the US blockade against Iran by sailing toward an Iranian port.

"A US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova's engine room after the ship's civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade, which remains in full effect," said CENTCOM.

Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said during his weekly press briefing on Tuesday that the negotiations between Oman and Iran had reached an "advanced stage".

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday that there were no discussions between Iran and the United States to extend the ceasefire because from Tehran's perspective the deal had no start date and therefore there was nothing to extend.

In another development, Iran will soon join the New Development Bank, the development lender established by the BRICS group of nations, central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state media report published on Wednesday ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India.

Cui Haipei in Dubai, UAE, and agencies contributed to this story.

jan@chinadailyapac.com