RIYADH, August 4, 2018 (MENA) - Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, Khalid A. Al-Falih, announced in a statement that Saudi Arabia decided to resume oil shipments through Bab El Mandeb Strait starting from Saturday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The move comes after confirmation by the Joint Forces of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen of taking necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of the Coalition States' ships transiting through Bab El Mandeb Strait and the southern parts of the Red Sea, in coordination with the international community and in accordance with international law and related United Nations Security Council resolutions, the minister said. Falih emphasized that the security of Bab El Mandeb Strait and the southern parts of the Red Sea is a joint international interest, towards which the whole international community should uphold its responsibilities. It came after a statement issued recently by the spokesperson for the coalition forces in which he confirmed that the coalition forces carried out an overall evaluation of the Houthi militia attacks, which targeted the freedom of navigation through Bab El Mandeb, affirming that all necessary measures were taken to secure maritime navigation and international trade through the strait. Saudi Arabia had announced, on July 25, that oil shipments through Bab El Mandeb would be temporarily halted after the unsuccessful terrorist attack carried out by Iran- backed Houthi militia on two Saudi oil tankers.
