PLC President: Sustainable De-escalation Hinges on Restoring State Institutions and War-and-Peace Authority

  Riyadh

President Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, President of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), called today Monday for a firmer international approach to Iranian interference in the region. He said this approach should involve simultaneous pressure on Tehran and its terrorist networks, cutting off their sources of funding and arms supplies. At the same time, it should strengthen the capacity of national states and their legitimate institutions to protect their sovereignty and national security.

During a meeting with German State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense Jens Plötner, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Dr. Afrah Al-Zouba, President Al-Alimi said that the ongoing shifts in the international stance toward the Iranian regime represent an opportunity to rebuild a more sustainable framework for regional security.

He added that the Yemeni experience provides one of the clearest examples of the dangers posed by the growth of armed groups operating outside state authority. Over time, such groups can evolve from an internal threat into a cross-border source of danger affecting ports, maritime routes, and international trade.

The President affirmed that the recent Houthi escalation against cities, ports, and civilian facilities, including terrorist attacks on Mocha and Marib, reflects a desperate attempt to revive a policy of blackmail and test the resolve of the Yemeni state after years of internationally backed de-escalation.

In this context, he noted that the armed forces have demonstrated a high level of competence and readiness. They will continue to deliver painful strikes against Houthi terrorist command-and-control centers, gatherings, and elements across various fronts.

President Al-Alimi called on the international community to play a greater role in tracking arms-smuggling networks and the smuggling of components and technologies with military applications. He called on the international community to tighten measures against individuals and entities involved in financing and arming terrorist groups, and enhancing international cooperation to prevent such capabilities from reaching the Houthi militias.

He also called for supporting the government’s capabilities to protect the security of the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and sovereign ports. He stressed that the security of maritime routes cannot be sustainably ensured through international naval deployments alone, but rather through a strong Yemeni state capable of exercising its authority and protecting its coasts and territorial waters.

His Excellency said the Yemeni people cannot accept a model in which official state institutions coexist with an armed group that retains weapons and unilaterally decides when to wage war and when to make peace, in addition to being linked to a destructive cross-border project.

President Al-Alimi praised the historic relations between the Republic of Yemen and the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as Berlin’s steadfast stance in support of the Yemeni people and their national institutions.

He expressed his aspiration to further develop Yemeni-German partnership, particularly in the areas of institutional, security, and defense capacity-building, as well as the protection of maritime routes, in a manner that contributes to enhancing the security and stability of Yemen and the region.

The meeting was attended by Director of the Office of the Presidency of the Republic Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Director of the Office of the Supreme Commander, Major General Ahmed Al-Oqaili, and Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Yemen Mr. Thomas Schneider.