Diesel hits record $6 a gallon as Houthis take key Red Sea territory
Diesel prices in the U.S. have hit a painful new milestone, $6 a gallon as, reports said, Houthi rebels in Yemen took key territory along the Red Sea.
Iran's government on Friday called for an end to Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen and the immediate resumption of talks, in its first public statement since Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered a key Yemeni port – according to sources speaking to the AP, AFP and Reuters news agencies – and intensified their threat to a key global shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, Iran's foreign ministry said Yemen's sovereignty must be respected and its problems cannot be resolved through a blockade or military alliances.
Iran also said it was ready to help support negotiations. Meanwhile, experts say the developments in Yemen could give Tehran more leverage in any negotiations with the United States after over six months of war.
The Houthis' entry into the Red Sea port of Mokha on Thursday brings them within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important alternative for global shipping as Iran targets vessels on the Strait of Hormuz. It's the rebels' biggest territorial gain in years.
CBS/AP