Ignoring Iranian Calls for Diplomacy, Saudi Arabia Continues Assault on Yemen

October 10, 2020 /

Saudi Arabia has rebuffed Iranian calls to end its bombing assault on Yemen, instead accusing Tehran of regional meddling and in turn leading experts to warn of deepening tensions between the two countries.

According to NBC News:

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went even further on Monday, urging the formation of a new Yemeni government and offering to assist in a political transition, Reuters reports.

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“I had the privilege of participating in the Bonn Conference when we created the Afghan government,” Zarif reportedly said in a speech during a two-day visit to Kazakhstan. “Actually we didn’t do it, the Afghans did … We can do that in Yemen too.”

But as Reuters further notes, “Zarif’s suggestion of a similar process for Yemen is likely to be seen by Saudi Arabia as an attempt to extend Iran’s influence on the Arabian Peninsula.”

However, the Saudi assertion—widely shared by Western governments and mainstream media—that Iran is seeking to wield that influence through Houthi fighters is flawed, Adil E. Shamoo wrote last week at Foreign Policy in Focus:

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