Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider the Houthis to be an Iranian-backed proxy organisation; if so, on what basis they distinguish the Houthis from Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which are proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000; and what assessment they have made of the provision of weapons, funding, and training to the Houthis by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp.

Iran provides political, military and financial support to its proxies and partners, often in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We have condemned the actions of the Houthis inside Yemen, and against regional partners including Israel and Saudi Arabia. Through its support to these groups, including Lebanese Hizballah, the Houthis, Hamas and militia groups in Iraq and Syria, Iran is a destabilising force across the Middle East. Regional stability is one of our top priorities and we remain deeply concerned about the impacts of potential military action. Iran's longstanding financial and military support to the Houthis has enabled and exacerbated Houthi aggression. Iran's long-standing support for the Houthis continues to fuel instability in Yemen. We do not comment on future designations or sanctions.