Yemen Parliament Speaker condemns UN Security Council bias toward Saudi Arabia

Yahya Ali al-Rai, Speaker of the Yemeni Parliament in Sanaa, has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemning a recent UN Security Council statement as biased toward Saudi Arabia.

The letter disputes claims made by UN envoy Hans Grundberg regarding threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Yemeni leadership asserts that maritime navigation remains safe for all vessels except those linked to the Saudi-led coalition, which are subject to a Yemeni blockade as part of a “blockade against blockade” policy in response to restrictions imposed since 2015.

Al-Rai cited humanitarian statistics, stating that over 60,000 civilians have been killed or injured, and more than 1.4 million people have died due to the consequences of the blockade, including lack of medical care and disease. The letter also noted that over five million people have been displaced. The Yemeni Parliament stated that its current escalation is a response to military actions, including an attack on Sanaa International Airport in July 2026, and maintained that its policies will continue until military operations cease and full sovereignty is achieved.