News - Yemen: The Yemeni Shura Council affirmed that the Yemeni people will not submit to policies of collective punishment or double standards, vowing to continue defending their sovereignty and legitimate rights through all legal, political, and diplomatic means.

The Council’s remarks came in a statement, condemning the UN Security Council’s decision to extend “US-driven sanctions” on Yemen.

In its statement, the Shura Council denounced the resolution as unjust, lacking fairness and objectivity, and reflecting clear bias toward the coalition countries that have waged a comprehensive military and economic war against the Yemeni people for more than a decade.

The Council reiterated Yemen’s principled and unwavering support for the Palestinian people and their just cause, stressing that punishing Yemen for its humanitarian and religious stance toward Gaza represents a blatant disregard for international justice.

The statement called on the international community to conduct a comprehensive and objective reassessment of the sanctions regime, to resist political pressures exerted by coalition states on UN institutions, and to work toward ending the aggression, lifting the blockade, and fully reopening humanitarian corridors without conditions.

The Shura Council emphasized that Yemen is facing an organized foreign war, and that portraying the situation as an internal conflict is a political distortion aimed at shielding coalition states from accountability for the grave crimes and violations against the Yemeni people.

The Council explicitly rejected the sanctions renewal, calling it a direct obstacle to achieving a just and comprehensive peace in Yemen and a measure that prolongs the ongoing aggression. It held the coalition states responsible for the worsening humanitarian crisis due to their continued blockade on food, medicine, and fuel.

The statement added that the decision directly serves the interests of the coalition and increases economic and political pressure on Yemen, undermining the government’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities toward citizens, while the UN continues to ignore the devastating effects of the war that destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The Shura Council concluded that maintaining the sanctions without a genuine review of on-ground realities or accountability for those responsible for the aggression constitutes a serious violation of the UN Charter and international law. 

It said the Security Council has demonstrated unmistakable double standards, transforming from a body mandated to uphold international peace and security into an instrument granting political cover for ongoing violations against Yemen’s land and people.

The United Nations Security Council recently adopted a British-sponsored draft resolution extending sanctions on Yemen for an additional 12 months. The resolution passed with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from Russia and China.

The renewed sanctions regime includes financial restrictions and travel bans, along with expanded monitoring mechanisms targeting what the Council describes as dual-use components and precursor materials that could be used in weapons manufacturing. The UK representative, James Kariuki, stated that the updated measures aim to address what he called the “increasing complexity and scale of Houthi smuggling and financing.”

The resolution also contains provisions related to maritime interdictions, requiring UN member states to inspect vessels operating in the Red Sea and surrounding waters. These measures have drawn criticism from major powers: China abstained, denouncing the maritime inspection clause as “arbitrary,” while Russia described the text as “unbalanced” and “politicized.”The decision comes amid heightened tensions in the Red Sea and ongoing foreign escalation against Yemen, which Sana’a argues is being legitimized through such UN decisions. Yemen says the renewed sanctions fail to address the blockade, humanitarian suffering, or foreign aggression—issues it considers central to any genuine path toward peace.