The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, affirmed that the attack carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen on an oil tanker in the Red Sea is unacceptable and illegitimate, and further inflames an already tense situation in the region.

Kallas, in a statement on Thursday, called on the Houthis to 'cease' attacking ships in the Red Sea, after they targeted a Saudi oil tanker, and to stop all activities that endanger international navigation and the lives of seafarers.

She added that the latest threats issued by the Houthis to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia 'pose a direct threat to stability in the region and represent a serious escalation.'

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