US, Italian foreign ministers discuss environmental risks in Red Sea following Houthi attack on tanker 'Sunion'

The US and Italian foreign ministers discussed, on Thursday, the environmental risks in the Red Sea (west of Yemen), following the Houthi attack on the oil tanker "Sunion" amid intensive diplomatic efforts to save and tow it.

The US State Department said in a statement on its website: "Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani about the dangerous situation in the Red Sea following the Houthi attacks on the oil tanker Delta Sunion."

The phone call between the two ministers discussed "the urgent need to prevent an environmental disaster" in the Red Sea, she added.

The statement indicated that the call discussed urgent issues in the world, including ongoing efforts to stop the ceasefire in Gaza and support for Ukraine.

State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller: Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed pressing global issues with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, including the environmental risks posed by the Houthi attacks on the oil tanker Sunion in the Red Sea. They also discussed regional security and support for Ukraine.

— US State Department (@USAbilAraby) August 29, 2024

The US State Department had warned in a statement last Sunday of an imminent environmental disaster in the Red Sea, as a result of the Houthi militia attacks on the oil tanker "Sunion", which caused it to catch fire and run aground after its crew was rescued.

"The United States is deeply concerned by the Houthi attacks on the oil tanker MT DELTA SOUNION, " the US State Department said in a statement.

The statement, attributed to State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, added that the Houthis' ongoing attacks "threaten to spill 1 million barrels of oil into the Red Sea, an amount equal to four times what was spilled in the Exxon Valdez disaster."

The US-Italian talks come amid international efforts to persuade the Iran-backed Houthis to allow rescue teams to reach the stricken ship off the coast of Hodeidah, western Yemen, and tow it before oil leaks from it.

On Monday, the Iranian mission to the United Nations announced the Houthis’ approval to allow tugboats and rescue ships to reach the tanker “Sunion,” which has been operating for about a week in the Red Sea, amid fears and warnings of an environmental disaster if an oil leak begins.

For his part, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam told Reuters that "after several international parties contacted us, especially the European ones, they were allowed to withdraw the burning oil tanker, Sunion, to avoid causing damage to the marine environment."

On the 21st of this month, the Houthi militia attacked the tanker Sonion with several shells at sea off Hodeidah, western Yemen, and published footage documenting the burning of the ship, claiming that the attack came in response to the ship’s violation of the ban imposed on Israeli ports.