Iran is ready to help resolve the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia

Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the need to resolve the differences between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through dialogue and diplomacy.

Tunisia, October 17. /TASS/. Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: Iran is ready to facilitate a peaceful solution to the conflict between Yemen's Ansarullah rebel movement (Houthis) and Saudi Arabia, if such a request is presented.

He said in a telegram: The Islamic Republic of Iran is always ready to provide good services to facilitate the cessation of conflicts and is ready to use all its capabilities for this purpose at the request of both sides.

Baqaei emphasized the need to resolve the differences between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis through dialogue and diplomacy. According to him, the events of the past 12 years showed that foreign interventions, military methods and blockades do not allow the problem of Yemen to be solved. He also denied the claim of Tehran's involvement in Ansarullah's attacks on Saudi Arabia. The diplomat said: "Yemen's armed forces (Houthis-Tass) act based on their interests and assessments, and Iran does not consider further escalation of tension to be beneficial for any of the parties.

According to Baqaei, the settlement requires respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen, an end to interference in its internal affairs, and the lifting of the air and sea blockade.

The armed conflict between the Houthis and government forces has been ongoing since August 2014. In September of the same year, the Ansarullah movement took control of Sana'a, the capital of the country. It advanced towards the south. In March 2015, at the request of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, the then president of Yemen, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia entered the conflict on behalf of the government. The coalition declared its goal to restore the authority of the country's internationally recognized leadership.

In early August 2016, the Ansarullah movement intensified its attacks in the southwest of the country, and in September it took control of the port city of Moka and access areas to the Babol Strait in western Yemen. On October 5, Rashad Mohammed Al Alimi, the head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, announced the start of a massive military operation called "Dawn of Yemen" to liberate the capital from the rebels. This operation is carried out with the support of the coalition.