The joint statement issued by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States said the Houthis must "immediately cease all military actions" and stop "threats and attacks against civilian shipping," while also urging a return to the political process in good faith.
The G7 also accused Iran of violating United Nations Security Council resolutions by continuing to supply and support the Houthis, and called on Tehran to end that assistance.
The appeal comes as the Houthi movement has launched a rapid offensive over the past weeks, seizing control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coastline, including the strategic port of Mokha. The advance threatens the flow of global trade and has pushed up energy prices, according to the statement.
Control of the Red Sea coast gives the Iran‑aligned fighters influence over two key waterways, notably the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf exporters rely on to ship crude oil.
The escalation follows a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh on September 19, the first strike on the Saudi capital in years, and a Saudi coalition airstrike on Mokha on September 22 that killed at least six people and wounded eight, according to the Houthi‑affiliated news agency Saba.
Britain has pledged defensive air‑to‑air refuelling for Saudi jets, while France said it would help secure Saudi energy infrastructure, both on a strictly defensive basis and without joining the conflict directly.
The broader Yemen war, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of Sanaa, had been largely frozen since 2022 but reignited in July. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition backing the internationally recognised government since 2015, a campaign that has contributed to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
In parallel diplomatic moves, Yemen’s governing council head Rashad al‑Alimi spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on September 20 to request American support; Trump did not promise military aid but later told reporters the Houthis had agreed not to target U.S. interests.
The regional fallout includes the recent shutdown of the East‑West Pipeline after drone attacks launched from Iraq, and heightened tensions after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed a Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last month, committing the three to mutual defence against attacks.
Analysts warned that continued Houthi strikes on Saudi oil facilities, such as the Aramco complex in Yanbu, could further disrupt global oil supplies and exacerbate already volatile energy markets.