NEW YORK — G7 foreign ministers on Monday called on Iran to end its arming of and support for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, which they said constituted a dangerous pattern of escalation that risked undermining international trade and creating global instability.The G7 also condemned “in the strongest terms” Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, adding that the recent escalation in fighting against Saudi-led international forces in Yemen represented a threat to regional and global energy security.Thousands of refugees have fled Yemen in recent days after the Iran-backed group seized territory along the country’s Red Sea coastline, including near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical shipping route for global trade.”We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States said in a statement after a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.”We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith,” said the ministers.It went on: “Their reprehensible actions constitute a dangerous pattern of escalation that risks further exacerbating the conflict, undermining international trade and creating global economic instability.””Looking forward, we will continue to support the legitimate Government of Yemen and reaffirm our strong commitment to the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Yemen,” the ministers said.Their statement was issued following a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
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