Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Sunday accused Iran of blocking peace efforts in Yemen, slamming its political archrival over support for the Yemeni rebels Riyadh is fighting against.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir accused Tehran of smuggling arms to Yemen’s Al Houthi rebels, who control northern Yemen, and to the rebels’ ally former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
“Iran is destroying all attempts to find a solution in Yemen, which has led to the failure of all political negotiations between the government and these militias,” Al Jubeir told a gathering in the Saudi capital of foreign ministers and military officials from countries including Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Senegal.
“These militias would not have continued operations without the support of the greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world - the Iranian regime,” Al Jubeir said.
The Yemen war has claimed more than 8,600 lives.
Saudi Arabia, joined the Yemeni government’s fight against the rebels in 2015.
A cholera outbreak has also claimed more than 2,100 lives since April as hospitals struggle to secure supplies amid a blockades on ports and the country’s main international airport.
The United Nations has warned Yemen now stands at the brink of famine.
Sunday’s gathering in Riyadh comes a week after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with Gulf officials in the Saudi capital for talks that largely focused on Iran’s role across the region.
Yemeni president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi came to power in early 2012 after massive Arab Spring protests ousted former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
In 2014, an Al Houthi-led coup placed Hadi under house arrest.
Hadi was able to escape and has since shifted government headquarters to the southern port city of Aden from where he has led an offensive to liberate Al Houthi-occupied territories.
With help from the Saudi-led Arab coalition, the Yemeni army has achieved widespread gains in many provinces, but Al Houthis still control the capital, Sana’a, and most northern provinces including Hodeida, Ibb, Mahweet, Yareem, Amran, Baydha and Hajja.
