Iran will no longer help Houthis in Yemen. The recent deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran restoring ties was orchestrated and managed by the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and included a promise to stop arming the Houthis, an Iranian source claimed.
Few in the Middle East and beyond saw the agreement coming when it was announced on 10 March. Riyadh and Tehran have had no official ties since 2016 when the Saudis cut off relations after their embassy in Iran was stormed by protesters angry over the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a dissident Shia Saudi cleric.
The specifics of the new deal have not yet been disclosed, but according to a joint statement released by Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China, which brokered the talks, they have agreed to “respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in internal affairs of states”.
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According to Middle East Eye, the Saudi and Iranian representatives were keen to be clear about their intentions across the five days of discussions and wanted to finally resolve their disagreements.
The Saudis said: ‘We are focused on our economic development and don’t want any conflict. We expect you not to have anything to do with Yemen and we will do the same about Iraq and Syria’,” the first source recalled.
Iran will no longer help Houthis in Yemen. The source added that the 24-point plan includes Iran ceasing military support for Yemen’s Houthi movement, a promise previously reported in the Wall Street Journal from US and Saudi sources.
He also claimed Saudi Arabia would stop backing Iran International, a Persian TV station that is vehemently critical of the Iranian authorities and has given the recent anti-establishment protests in Iran wide coverage.
Iran International denies it is backed by Saudi Arabia, saying it is owned by Volant Media UK Ltd, a private limited company based in London. It says its shareholders are private individuals from several countries.
In addition, the two sides agreed to allow Iranians to perform Umrah and Hajj and Saudi pilgrims to visit the city of Mashhad, which hosts the holy shrine of the eighth Shia imam.
The Saudis also disclaimed any support for the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), an exiled Iranian opposition organization that has previously been listed as a terror group by the US and UK, and pledged not to support it in the future.
The new deal is a significant breakthrough for both countries and the Middle East as a whole and is expected to have wide ramifications. It reveals the growing foreign policy role now held by the supreme leader’s office and the Supreme National Security Council, whose decisions are always rubber-stamped by Khamenei.
