Saudi Arabia has publicly accused Iran of encouraging Yemen's Houthis to attack the kingdom, saying it violates a 2023 diplomatic deal it reached with Tehran to smooth over relations.
"We think the escalation by the Houthis at this later stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran," Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, told journalists on Friday, in a rare public statement.
Krimly’s comments mark the first public signal that the war in Yemen has put pressure on Riyadh’s ties to Tehran.
Krimly said that the Houthis’ attacks were a breach of a March 2023 rapprochement that was brokered by China under which Saudi Arabia and Iran resumed diplomatic relations. At the time, the agreement was seen as a sign of China’s successful foreign policy. Beijing has good ties with both Tehran and Riyadh.
“[Iran] continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in violation of its commitments in the Beijing agreement,” Krimly said.
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The agreement was generally understood to include a commitment from Tehran to restrain the Houthis in support of a United Nations-backed ceasefire.
Saudi Arabia has faced multiple attacks since the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, putting pressure on the delicate rapprochement the two countries struck. Saudi Arabia even joined the US in launching some strikes on Iran earlier this year in retaliation, although it later pivoted to mediation.
Despite the tensions, Saudi Arabia has maintained diplomatic engagement with Iran.
Pressure
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi this week. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Iran publicly attended Araghchi’s sister’s funeral.
But the kingdom is now reeling from intense Houthi missile and drone strikes that have targeted civilian infrastructure including airports, oil facilities and the corporate headquarters of Aramco.
The Houthis garnered support in the Muslim world for attacking vessels linked to Israel and the US after 7 October 2023, when Israel responded to a Hamas-led attack by launching a war on Gaza, deemed a genocide by the UN, human rights groups and genocide scholars. But the group’s attacks on civilian sites in Saudi Arabia have sparked backlash.
Video footage from the Houthis' Saturday strike on Riyadh airport showed Umrah pilgrims absorbing a strike that killed at least 13 people and severely wounded hundreds more.
Saudi Arabia led an intervention into Yemen’s civil war in 2015. The kingdom launched a devastating bombing campaign against the Houthis that contributed to what the UN called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
In 2022, Yemen’s internationally recognised government, whose biggest backer is Saudi Arabia, reached a ceasefire with the Houthis. The agreement ushered in a fragile truce that endured even during US and Israeli strikes on the Houthis.
The Houthis have received arms, training and intelligence from Iran.
The war in Yemen erupted again after Saudi Arabia bombed Sanaa airport in July to prevent a plane carrying Houthi officials from landing. Middle East Eye reported that Iranian, Syrian and Hezbollah military advisors were on board, along with weapons systems.
The Houthis declared a blockade against Saudi shipping as a result, and launched a lightning offensive down the Red Sea coast last month, which the kingdom and its Yemeni allies have struggled to counter. They have also launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia.
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