DC (South24) 

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Today, the UN Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, held meetings with a number of US officials in Washington DC to discuss recent developments, especially the Red Sea events.

Envoy Grundberg's office said that the meetings in Washington also discussed ways to facilitate progress towards resuming an inclusive Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices and a lasting resolution of the conflict.

The meetings included Richard R. Verma, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, Ambassador Michele J. Sison, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Brett McGurk, the National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Tim Tim Lenderking, the U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen, and Daniel Shapiro, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

"During the meetings, Grundberg reiterated the Secretary-General’s calls for de-escalation in the region and the Red Sea and stressed the need to safeguard the progress made on peace mediation efforts in Yemen," the statement added.

Grundberg stressed "the paramount importance of sustaining regional and international concerted support to the parties to finalize a UN roadmap that operationalizes their commitments to a nationwide ceasefire, measures to improve living conditions in Yemen, and the resumption of a political process".

On Thursday, during a briefing to the UN Security Council, Grundberg expressed his concern about the return of war in Yemen. He said during the session: “The parties may decide to engage in a risky military adventure that will return Yemen to a new episode of war.”

Grundberg acknowledged that the mediation efforts he is leading in Yemen were affected by the Houthi naval attacks and the corresponding US-UK response in the form of airstrikes against Houthi-linked sites in North Yemen.

On Saturday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said: “We targeted the Israeli ship Pacific 01 in the Red Sea with a number of naval missiles.” Sarea announced that another attack was carried out using drones on an American destroyer in the Red Sea.

The leader of Yemen's Houthi militia, Abdulmalik Al-Houthi, announced on Thursday the expansion of his militia’s military operations to the Indian Ocean and the prevention of the passage of Israeli or Israel-linked ships from the Cape of Good Hope around South Africa.

Related: Houthi leader: Ships will not pass through Cape of Good Hope