A Yemeni Government Spokesman Denies Diplomatic Break with Iran

A spokesman for the Yemeni government denied reports that had previously circulated regarding the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran in an interview with Reuters. Rajeh Badi stated that the Yemeni government has not yet made any decisions regarding changes in diplomatic relations with Iran. Earlier, the state television of Aden announced on Friday that the Yemeni government had decided to cut diplomatic ties with Iran. Riyadh Yasin, the Yemeni Foreign Minister, also told the newspaper 'Asharq Al-Awsat' that President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi agreed to sever diplomatic relations with Iran following a series of actions by Tehran within Yemeni territory, which included creating discord, instability, arms trafficking, supporting a coup against legitimacy, and violating the country's airspace. This news came just a day after the expulsion of the Iranian chargé d'affaires from Bahrain. Bahrain, on Thursday, recalled its ambassador from Tehran and gave the Iranian chargé d'affaires 72 hours to leave Bahrain. The city of Aden, located in southern Yemen, has recently become the center and headquarters of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's government. Yemen, with a population of 24 million, is situated in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, which has a long border with Saudi Arabia and Oman, as well as extensive coastlines along the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The majority of the population is Sunni, while Shia Muslims are in the minority. Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi was elected as the president of this impoverished Arab country in 2012, but two years later, in September 2014, Shia Houthi militants, in coalition with supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized power by capturing Sana'a, the capital. Mr. Hadi and his government then fled to Aden, but as the rebels, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, advanced southward, the president and his government members sought refuge in Saudi Arabia. The military advance of the Houthis in Yemen prompted Saudi Arabia to lead a military operation against the rebels at the request of the Yemeni government, forming a coalition of Arab countries. With the entry of Arab air forces into the war in Yemen and the subsequent addition of armored units and infantry soldiers, the Houthis' advance was halted, and the Yemeni exiled government returned to Aden. In recent weeks, forces loyal to Mr. Hadi have advanced towards Sana'a. Tensions in Iran-Saudi relations have escalated following conflicts in Syria and Yemen and peaked after the 'Jamarat incident' in Mina. The Islamic Republic supports Bashar al-Assad in Syria and is accused of providing military support to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In contrast, Saudi Arabia supports the opponents of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and backs Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the president of Yemen. In this context, an 'informed source' from Iran described the presence of weapons in the seized boat in Yemen as 'fabrication.' How far will the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia go? The changing battlefield of 'proxy wars'; the war against the people in the streets of Iran.