EU Tells Houthis to Halt Attacks and Presses Iran to Cut Support

The European Union turned up the heat on the Houthis Monday, condemning the group's continued escalation in Yemen's war and singling out strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said flatly that all Houthi military action must end right away. She also went after the group's outside backers, naming Iran, and pressed them to withdraw their support.

Brussels paired the demand with money and muscle. The EU said it will ramp up backing for Yemen's government and expand humanitarian aid, pointing out that more than 22 million people in the country need assistance. That's the human toll sitting underneath the diplomatic language.

Shipping lanes got their own warning. The EU stressed the need to protect maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and vowed to keep its defensive maritime operation running to safeguard freedom of navigation through the corridor. Houthi attacks have made that waterway a flashpoint for global trade traffic.

The warning lands in a region already on edge, according to Breaking The News. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy claimed Monday that 11 oil tankers caught fire or sank in the Strait of Hormuz over a nine-day stretch. The IRGC made the claim on X, and the EU has repeatedly tied Houthi operations to Iranian backing.

For now, the EU's playbook is pressure plus presence: keep funding Yemen's government and relief efforts, keep warships on station, and keep telling the Houthis and their supporters to stand down. Kallas framed the demand in absolute terms, leaving little room for a partial pause. Whether Tehran or the Houthis move is the open question.