US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on the 8th (local time), regarding the clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's pro-Iran Houthi rebel group, that "there is clearly the hand of Iran behind the situation."

Speaking to reporters at the Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida prior to his departure for a three-nation tour of Latin America including Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, Rubio stated, "The Houthis are in many ways a proxy for Iran," according to the State Department.

In recent days, Saudi Arabia has launched massive airstrikes against Houthi strongholds across Yemen to protect its control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, an alternative oil export route to the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the Houthis carried out large-scale retaliatory strikes targeting facilities of the Saudi state-owned oil company Aramco and an air force base in southern Saudi Arabia.

As uncertainties over crude oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz have grown in the wake of the war involving Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis have engaged in a fierce battle bordering on an all-out war over control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

Rubio stated, "The United States has a very solid defense and military alliance with Saudi Arabia, and we are monitoring this situation very closely," while withholding specific details on potential US responses by saying, "Ask the Department of Defense."

Regarding the push by 12 countries, including the UK, France, and Canada, to impose sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Rubio said, "At a very unstable time in this region (the Middle East), we do not want to see violence, conflict, or tensions escalate in the West Bank."

He added, "We will not take the same actions as the United Kingdom. We acknowledged their announcement today, but we have no comment on it at this time."

Currently, Israel has strongly opposed the West Bank settlement sanctions and decided to close the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, which spearheaded the measure.

When asked what message he would deliver to South American countries concerned about US resource exploitation or troop deployments regarding the recent US-Venezuela oil agreement, Rubio responded, "I want to point out that those oil fields (in Venezuela) were once controlled by China, Russia, and Iran," adding, "It is much better to cooperate with the United States."

He continued, "In fact, Chinese and Russian companies held these oil fields, but it never led to production. These oil fields will now be productive, generating royalties and revenues for the Venezuelan people. Rather than going into the pockets of corrupt government officials or falling into the hands of hostile forces, they will directly benefit the Venezuelan people."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)