Brussels: Irans Houthi allies in Yemen must cease all actions that endanger international shipping and the lives of seafarers, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday. Recent threats by Yemens Houthis to impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia "pose a direct threat to regional stability and constitute a dangerous escalation", Kallas said in a statement.

According to TRTworld.com, the Houthis on Thursday said they struck two Saudi oil tankers as part of a blockade on Saudi Arabia, threatening to create a second chokepoint on global oil supplies alongside the Strait of Hormuz. Kallas stated that such attacks were "unacceptable" and inflamed the already fragile situation in the region.

"Navigation must be unimpeded, in the Strait of Hormuz as well as in the Red Sea," the EUs top diplomat said. The EUs ASPIDES naval operation remained committed to protecting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding international waters, she added.