Statement by the Press Secretary on Saudi Arabia and Yemen

The United States welcomes Saudi Arabia's announcement that the Saudi-led Coalition will open the Yemeni port of Hudaydah to all humanitarian and commercial goods, including fuel, and move cranes funded by the United States to Hudaydah. As the largest humanitarian donor to the people of Yemen, the United States remains committed to alleviating the dire human suffering in Yemen.

We welcome Saudi Arabia's announcement of these humanitarian actions in the face of this major conflict. The United States condemns in the strongest terms the December 19 Houthi ballistic missile attack against al-Yamamah Royal Palace in Riyadh, the seat of the Saudi Royal Court and official residence of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Since early November, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also enabled Houthi missile attacks against Riyadh's international airport.

We urge the United Nations Security Council to hold Iran responsible for its repeated and blatant violations of Security Council resolutions. We call on all parties to support a political solution to the war in Yemen, which is the only way to advance long-term stability in Yemen and end the suffering of the Yemeni people.