Yemen Monitor/ Tehran/ Exclusive:
A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official accused the US on Tuesday of opposing the completion of the peace process in Yemen.
This came during a meeting on Tuesday in Tehran between the Norwegian Special Envoy for Yemen, Heidi Johannessen, and Ali Khaji, the senior advisor to the Iranian Foreign Minister for special political affairs. The meeting exchanged views on the latest political, field, and international developments regarding Yemen, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry stated that both parties “expressed deep concern about the escalation of the crisis, the expansion of regional conflicts, and the continued killing of innocent people in Gaza and Lebanon. They called for an immediate ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine, Lebanon, and Yemen.”
Khaji accused the US of opposing “the completion of the peace process in Yemen,” describing this “approach as a model of destabilizing and interventionist actions in the region.”
He said that his country has supported “a political solution since the beginning of the crisis by presenting a political initiative.”
The Norwegian Special Representative for Yemen expressed agreement with Iran that the Yemen issue must be resolved through political dialogue between the Yemeni parties. She called for increased international efforts to establish stability and peace in Yemen.
Iran is accused of providing advanced weapons to the Houthis, despite strong evidence supporting these accusations, which Iran categorically denies.
The United Nations believes that events in the Red Sea are affecting the achievement of peace in Yemen.
The US has previously called for good faith from the Houthis in the Red Sea to complete UN peace efforts in the country. Earlier this week, US envoy to Yemen Timothy Lenderking said that the administration of President-elect Donald Trump would focus on Red Sea security and would not accept the continued Houthi attacks on ships and international commerce.
The Houthis accuse Washington of linking peace in Yemen to Red Sea attacks. The armed group has launched more than 215 attacks since November 2023.
Houthi maritime attacks have led to retaliatory strikes by the US and Britain since January, and Lenderking previously confirmed that they are focused on neutralizing the threat posed by the Houthis to maritime security. The US envoy links the cessation of Houthi maritime attacks to his country’s focus on “peace in Yemen.”
The Houthis and the Americans are holding indirect talks in the Sultanate of Oman to halt maritime attacks. Reports indicate that the US is making concessions that would allow the Houthis to control the government in the country. Lenderking’s deputy said at the end of April that a political process that gradually legitimizes the Houthis is the “most viable path” to address the underlying factors that led to Houthi maritime attacks.
