The United States and Iran have expanded the agenda of their unofficial contacts to include discussions on maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, UAE-based newspaper The National reports, citing a Pakistani source.


The source said another round of behind-the-scenes message exchange is underway, focused exclusively on the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.


“The US side wants to find a way whereby Hormuz and the Red Sea are no longer subject to attacks and where attacks on shipping are stopped,” the source noted.


According to the report, Washington is seeking a solution that would bring an end to attacks on commercial vessels in both waterways. In return, Tehran is pressing for concessions promised under a June memorandum, including the resumption of oil sales and the gradual easing of sanctions.


The National previously reported that shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait had fallen by 56% after Yemen's Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement announced a blockade of Saudi Arabia.


The newspaper said Pakistan's role has expanded beyond mediation following the mutual defence agreement it signed with Saudi Arabia in September last year.


The source said Pakistan will not be able to stand aside if the Saudis ask for assistance in addressing the Red Sea shipping crisis, even if that requires deploying Pakistani naval vessels to protect the kingdom's interests.


On July 20, Ansar Allah military spokesman Yahya Saree announced a maritime shipping ban targeting Saudi Arabia. In response, the Saudi-led Arab coalition said on July 21 it had begun implementing measures to protect commercial shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.


The Houthis later said they had struck two Saudi oil tankers with missiles and drones in response to what they described as violations of their maritime blockade. Saudi authorities confirmed that the tanker Encelia had been hit, adding that all crew members were safe.


In retaliation, the Saudi-led coalition carried out strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen's Hodeidah province. On July 25, the Houthis said they had launched missile and drone attacks on facilities operated by Saudi Aramco in the port cities of Jizan and Yanbu.


By Bakhtiyar Abbasov