Yemen Is Tehran's Leverage to Lift the Naval Blockade / "Ansarallah" Is Not Iran's Proxy and Has Its Own Interests

Tehran is seeking dialogue over the Yemen conflict and warns that a military solution risks further complicating the already unstable situation in the region.

According to Ambassador Arjan's international reporter, Al Jazeera Qatar writes in a report: After a series of deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia, Iran has offered to mediate a dialogue between Riyadh and Yemen's Houthi group (Ansarullah). An issue that raises questions about Tehran's diplomatic calculations at the same time as conflicts escalate throughout the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had a conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, on Sunday. This is the first reported public contact between the two sides since the Houthis intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The failure of Iran's mediation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Ansarullah; Why does Sana'a not accept the short-term agreement?

This diplomatic move was made after the attacks on Riyadh International Airport over the weekend; The attacks killed 14 people and wounded hundreds as Saudi-backed forces continued their offensive against the Houthis, known as Ansarullah, in Yemen.

The talks are also taking place in the shadow of a wider US-Israeli war against Iran, with Tehran likely looking to avoid being drawn into another confrontation.

"Tehran is an ally of Ansarullah and has influence over this movement, although it does not control its decisions," Negar Mortazavi, a senior researcher at the Washington, DC-based Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera.

"By offering to mediate dialogue with Riyadh, Iran presents itself as an essential party to a broader regional agreement."

So what is going on between Riyadh and Tehran, and why has Iran offered to mediate the dialogue?

What did Iran and Saudi Arabia talk about?

According to the report of Saudi Ambassador Arjan, the two foreign ministers discussed the recent escalation of tensions in the region and efforts to reduce tensions. Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed this development.

After these talks, Araghchi warned on Sunday about pursuing a military solution to this conflict and offered Tehran's help to facilitate the dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

"Insisting on a military approach and ignoring a political solution will only make the situation more complicated," Araghchi said, quoting Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqaei reiterated Tehran's readiness to mediate and said Iran was deeply concerned about developments in the Arabian Peninsula.

Baqaei said: "We absolutely do not want the hostility and war between the two Islamic countries to continue" and called for a dialogue to resolve the conflict.

What is Iran's position regarding the war in Yemen?

Iran has repeatedly called for a diplomatic solution to the Yemen conflict and says it supports a political solution instead of military action.

Tehran supports the Houthis; A group that controls Yemen's capital, Sana'a, and other parts of the country.

This armed group is part of the "axis of resistance" aligned with Iran, which also includes Hezbollah in Lebanon and armed groups in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has been leading a military coalition in support of Yemen's internationally recognized government since 2015.

Baqaei said on Monday that the conflict was in Israel's interests and preferred a negotiated solution to continued fighting.

Clashes in Yemen escalated after forces from the internationally recognized government announced Operation Yemen Dawn on October 4 to retake recent Houthi territorial gains, including the capital, Sanaa.

Government forces, with Riyadh's support, have announced an advance near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, a vital international shipping route. However, competing claims about the battlefield are difficult to independently verify.

The Houthis have responded with missile and drone attacks on airports, energy infrastructure and other Saudi targets.

Two attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Saturday and Sunday killed 14 people and injured more than 300 people. The victims included foreigners from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Palestine.

The escalating violence has also disrupted commercial flights, businesses and schools in Riyadh, highlighting the growing economic and civilian consequences of the conflict.

Hans Grundberg, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, warned on Friday that Yemen had returned to "full-scale war" and that civilians were suffering the most from the attacks.

Why does Iran want to facilitate the dialogue between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis?

Iran's offer to facilitate dialogue between Riyadh and the Houthis could be an attempt to strengthen Tehran's diplomatic position and reach a broader regional agreement that goes beyond Yemen.

"I think Iran is trying to turn Yemen from a military burden into a diplomatic asset," Andreas Craig, a Middle East security analyst at King's College London, told Al Jazeera.

He said that Tehran knows that despite the intensification of its military campaign, Saudi Arabia is facing difficulties in restoring the territorial gains of the Houthis, especially around Taiz and Bab al-Mandab.

Craig said: "Araghchi's proposal is an attempt to introduce Iran as part of the solution to the crisis that Tehran has played a role in."

Meanwhile, analyst Mortazavi said Iran's diplomatic moves are part of a broader effort to bridge ongoing conflicts across the region.

"The larger political goal is an informal non-aggression arrangement between Iran and its allies on the one hand and the United States and its regional partners on the other," he said.

He argued that such a deal would require an end to hostilities on multiple fronts, including Yemen and Lebanon, rather than just one limited to the US-Iran conflict.

In addition, Craig, the academic, said there was an important "Saudi dimension" to the talks.

"Riyadh is increasingly uncomfortable with its dependence on Washington, frustrated by America's limited willingness to intervene in Yemen, and unwilling to become dependent on the UAE again," he said.

"Iran sees an opportunity to show that engagement with Tehran can provide something that Saudi Arabia's traditional security partners have had difficulty providing."

There are also economic considerations, analysts noted. Iran is under significant pressure from the US blockade, while the Persian Gulf countries are gradually returning their energy exports to pre-war levels, despite Iranian disruptions.

"Offering Riyadh a way out of Yemen potentially gives Iran leverage far beyond the Yemen scene, particularly in negotiations over Hormuz, sanctions relief and the broader regional security architecture," Craig said.

However, Craig cautioned against overstating Iran's influence over the Houthis, who have their own political ambitions and demands.