Written question asked by Lord Sedwill (Crossbench) on Monday, 29 January 2024, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 February 2024. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Monday, 12 February 2024 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Piracy: Red Sea

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made any representations to the government of Iran regarding Houthi attacks on international shipping.

Answer: The Government has long condemned Iran's political, financial, and military support to several militant and proscribed groups, including the Houthis and Iranian-aligned militia groups in Iraq and Syria. The current and former Foreign Secretaries have directly raised Iran's support for these groups with the Iranian Foreign Minister three times since 7 October 2023. They made clear in all their conversations that Iran must use its influence with groups in the region to prevent escalation and that the regime bore responsibility for the actions of groups they had supported over many years.

Secondary information