Yemen Monitor/Newsroom
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg has underscored the grave threat posed by escalating tensions in the region to the Yemen peace process, calling for international community support.
In an interview following a week of intensive meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Grundberg indicated that the wars in Gaza and Lebanon are impacting the progress of the peace process in Yemen.
He stated, “The instability we have witnessed in the past period is deeply concerning, not only because thousands of lives have been lost and the crisis has spread misery throughout the region, but also because it casts a shadow on our ability to make decisions in the best interests of civilians. This has affected our work in Yemen.”
In Yemen, the Houthis, backed by Iran, support the Hamas movement, which is engaged in a war against Israel in Gaza.
However, Grundberg expressed his conviction that all these crises can be addressed.
When asked about the continued attacks by Houthis on ships in the Red Sea and everything related to Israel, he said, “For this reason, the UN has been calling for a ceasefire in Gaza from the beginning and the release of hostages, and we have been clear about the specific risks associated with instability on the borders, which leads to instability in the entire region. This calls for the need for a ceasefire and an end to the conflict.”
He explained that “a stable Yemen can positively impact the region, and likewise, a stable region can positively impact the war in Yemen,” noting that “there is a link between the two.”
The Houthis, who control large swaths of Yemen, form part of what Iran calls the “Axis of Resistance,” which includes Hamas and Hezbollah.
He described the UN’s role in Yemen as mediation between the various parties and stakeholders.
He said, “If I want to be effective in my work, I need full and unconditional support from the international community so that the parties can agree on the next step and go beyond the truce we reached in 2022. For this to happen, we need an environment that leads to this level.”
The Iranian Role
Grundberg emphasized that the role of regional states in the Yemen conflict is “very important,” saying, “My ambition since the beginning of my work on this file has been to ensure that Yemen’s neighbors in the Arabian Peninsula, the Gulf, and Iran can be constructive in achieving peace in Yemen.”
He added, “I do not only communicate with Yemenis but with Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, and Iranians,” noting that he visited Tehran less than two weeks ago “and there was a long discussion, and talks here in New York as well.”
He declined to describe the Iranian role as either constructive or not, and did not provide details of the discussions he held in Tehran.
However, he said that his discussions with the Iranian Foreign Minister when he visited Tehran two weeks ago “were constructive, and identified the need to move forward to achieve a just solution in Yemen.
He added, “I asked all interlocutors in the region and all stakeholders to have a constructive position towards Yemen and to support peace, and my message to them was that there are enough weapons in Yemen and there is no need for more weapons in Yemen.”
