Following reports of attacks on Saudi oil tankers by Yemen’s Shia Houthi movement in support of the Islamic Republic, several high-ranking European officials expressed severe concern over the escalation.
On Thursday, July 23, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius voiced the German government’s deep alarm over the Houthi strikes on two tankers in the Red Sea, pointing to the rising risk of broader regional conflict.
According to Pistorius, the situation in the Middle East is “clearly moving in the wrong direction.”
In a pessimistic assessment, he added that “at present, absolutely nothing indicates that a ceasefire is within reach, let alone peace.” The German defense minister predicted that these developments would bring “severe consequences” for all nations relying on energy imports from the region.
Concurrently, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy condemned the renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, also described recent developments in the region as “concerning.”
