A Saudi official says Iran is encouraging the Houthis’ latest escalation and continues to arm and train them. Riyadh says it still has direct contact with Tehran
RIYADH (Saudi Arabia): A Saudi foreign ministry official on Thursday accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis in the latest escalation of their fight with the kingdom, adding that the Islamic republic continues to arm and train the group.
“Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN security council resolutions,” Dr. Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, said during a virtual briefing with reporters.
“We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” he later said.
The official said the kingdom however remained in communication with Iran, even if Tehran appeared unwilling to offer concessions.
“We continue to have direct communications with Iran,” Krimly told reporters.
“Overall, it doesn’t seem yet that the Iranians are able to provide the necessary concessions for a solution.”
The official went on to accuse the Houthis of refusing to meet in Oman in recent weeks as fighting ramped up between the two sides.
“At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman and they refused,” he added.
“This was the last communication which happened a few weeks ago.”
The world’s top crude oil exporter has in recent days come under sustained attack, including a strike on Riyadh’s international airport that was the deadliest in years, as the war with the Houthis dramatically escalates.
Yemen’s civil war reignited in July after a UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle East war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets.
The conflict in the country has caused what the United Nations calls one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving most of the nation’s population dependent on aid.
The Saudi-led coalition has fought the Houthis since 2015 after they seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa and forced out the internationally recognised government from the city, until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022.