Yemen's Houthis will let salvage crews access oil tanker they set ablaze in Red Sea

By Michelle Nichols and Mohamed Ghobari

UNITED NATIONS/ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi group has agreed to allow tugboats and rescue ships to reach a damaged crude oil tanker in the Red Sea, Iran's mission to the United Nations said on Wednesday, after the Iran-aligned militants attacked the Greek-flagged vessel last week.

The Sounion tanker is carrying 150,000 tonnes, or 1 million barrels, of crude oil and poses an environmental hazard, shipping officials said. Any spill has the potential to be among the largest from a ship in recorded history.

"Several countries have reached out to ask Ansarullah (the Houthis), requesting a temporary truce for the entry of tugboats and rescue ships into the incident area," Iran's U.N. mission in New York said.

"In consideration of humanitarian and environmental concerns, Ansarullah has consented to this request," it said.

Yemen's Houthis spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters on Wednesday there is no temporary truce and the group only agreed to allow the towing of oil tanker Sounion after several international parties contacted the group.

The Sounion was targeted last week by multiple projectiles off Yemen's port city of Hodeidah. There have been seemingly conflicting reports about oil escaping from the ship. Reuters has not independently confirmed if the oil is leaking or spilling from the vessel.

The Houthis, who control Yemen's most populous regions, said they attacked the Sounion. The militants began aerial drone and missile strikes on the Red Sea in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. In over 70 attacks, they have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday a third party had tried to send two tugs to help salvage the Sounion, but the Houthis threatened to attack them.

In a statement on Wednesday, Iran's U.N. mission said "the failure to provide aid and prevent an oil spill in the Red Sea stems from the negligence of certain countries, rather than concerns over the possibility of being targeted." (This story has been refiled to fix the byline)

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Mohamed Ghobari; Additional reporting by Yomna Ehab and Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Katharine Jackson, Jonathan Oatis and Richard Chang)