Meeting with Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, David Cameron Asks Iran to Stop Supplying Weapons and Intelligence to the Houthis

JAKARTA - British Foreign Minister David Cameron asked Iran to stop supplying weapons and intelligence to the Houthi militant group, when meeting with his colleague Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Wednesday.

In a statement, the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said that the meeting between the two top diplomats from each country was held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

In its FCDO statement, Foreign Minister Cameron condemned Iran's attack on Erbil in Iraq, which killed British-Iraqi national Karam Mikhael.

Furthermore, the FCDO also stated that Foreign Minister Cameron emphasized to his counterpart that Houthi militant attacks on shipping in the Red Sea were "illegal and unacceptable".

"Iran must stop supplying weapons and intelligence to the Houthis and use its influence to stop Houthi attacks in the Red Sea," wrote Foreign Minister Cameron in X, reported by The Times of Israel, January 18.

"Iran must also stop using the regional situation as an excuse to act carelessly and violate the sovereignty of other countries. I have explained this to him (Amirabdollahian)," he said.

Previously, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday that if the conflict in Gaza ends, other attacks in the region will also stop.

Since the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out in Gaza on October 7, tensions have also increased in the surrounding areas, including on the Lebanon-Israel border and attacks in the Red Sea, where the Hezbollah and Houthi militant groups in the two areas expressed support for Hamas.

"If the genocide in Gaza stops, then this will end other crises and attacks in the region," said the Iranian Foreign Minister, quoted by CNN.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian further said that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told him that Hezbollah attacks would stop if Israel stopped its attacks on Hamas in Gaza.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian said the Iran-aligned Houthi militia would continue their attacks in the Red Sea "as long as the genocide in the Gaza war continues".

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian added that maritime security and shipping safety in the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf are important for Iran's oil exporters, claiming Iran has information that Yemen and Saudi are approaching a "real substantive peace agreement."

"The security of the Red Sea is linked to developments in Gaza, and everyone will suffer if Israel's crimes in Gaza do not stop. All fronts (of resistance) will remain active," he said, quoted by Reuters.