Iran to Saudi Arabia: “We reject every claim of a role in Yemen’s operations” – and offers new mediation

Iran has rejected Saudi Arabia’s accusation that it is encouraging the escalation of Houthi attacks against the kingdom. “The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects every claim regarding a role in Yemen’s operations,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Friday, October 16, according to Press TV. The Iranian foreign ministry’s statement is headlined “Iran remains firm in its consistent position on Yemen.”

The reply concerns remarks by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayid Krimly, who in a rare briefing on Thursday said: “We believe that the Houthi escalation at this late stage of the conflict is being encouraged by Iran.” Krimly accused Tehran of continuing to arm, train and support the Houthis, in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and of its commitments under the March 2023 Beijing agreement. He also made clear that Riyadh has not asked for Iranian mediation: “We maintain direct channels of communication with the Houthis, and Oman acts as a facilitator of these talks, not as a mediator.”

Baghaei insisted that Yemen’s armed forces “decide and act according to their own interests and assessments.” At the same time he repeated Tehran’s offer: “The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been ready to offer its good offices to end the conflict and remains ready to use all its capabilities for that purpose, as long as both sides ask.” Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al Mayadeen that Tehran has offered every kind of help, “mediation of course”, without receiving a positive response.

The Iranian spokesman also raised the issue of the blockade of Yemen. “For more than a decade the people of Yemen have resisted the air and sea blockade of their country,” he said, adding that the blockade was designed by extra-regional actors, in particular Britain and the United States. As a solution he proposed respect for Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference and the lifting of the blockade, noting that further escalation serves no side.

The exchange comes at a time of fierce Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia that have cost the lives of at least 19 people, with Riyadh’s King Khalid airport targeted 20 times in October alone. On Thursday Houthi missiles hit the presidential palace in Aden, while earlier in the week a building of Aramco in Dhahran was struck.