Rubio says Iran “snookered” Houthis into joining regional conflict

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued that Iran had drawn Yemen's Houthi movement into a conflict that is not in its interest, expressing hope the group would halt its attacks.

Speaking during a press gaggle at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila, the top US diplomat also cautioned that attacks on commercial shipping could broaden the conflict and create wider international repercussions, Caliber.Az reports.

“I hope that the Houthis stop. They shouldn't really do that. They got suckered into this by the Iranians. The Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict. They now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this by going after Saudi Arabia and their ships.

I was reading reports a few hours ago that there was actually a Saudi fuel ship that's flagged Chinese. It's a Chinese ship. Are they going to blow up the Chinese ship? Then this becomes a problem for China. This will become a problem for the whole world.

But I hope that will de-escalate because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians. They were smart to stay out of it, and they should stay out of it, and they should stop,” Rubio said.

Earlier, Yemen’s Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, claimed responsibility for strikes on two oil tankers, saying the attacks were carried out in response to alleged violations of Saudi Arabia’s maritime blockade.

Reuters later reported that two Chinese supertankers carrying a combined 4 million barrels of Saudi crude were heading toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to leave the Red Sea.

By Jeyhun Aghazada