Al-Makhlafi: Iran is Part of the Problem in Yemen, Not the Solution

Abdulmalik al-Makhlafi, Yemen's Foreign Minister, accused Iran on Monday of being part of the problem in the country's civil war and stated that it should not participate in the peace process in this war-torn nation. According to the Associated Press, al-Makhlafi, speaking at a press conference, accused Tehran of continuing to "smuggle weapons to the Shiite Houthi militants." Iran has denied accusations of interference in Yemen's affairs and supplying weapons to the Shiite Houthi group, which controls Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, and parts of the country. Al-Makhlafi responded to questions from reporters at a meeting on humanitarian aid and establishing peace in Yemen hosted by Saudi Arabia and Yemen at the United Nations headquarters. Saudi Arabia leads a regional coalition supporting the Yemeni government, which has drawn criticism from Iran. However, Saudi Arabia and other coalition members reject Tehran's accusations, citing their support for Yemen's legitimate government. According to AFP, the Yemeni Foreign Minister also stated in response to a question about Iran's potential role in establishing peace in this war-torn country: "Iran is the cause of this problem; Iran continues to support the Houthis, and Iranian weapons are smuggled to them. Iran is part of the problem, not the solution." Since 2014, when Houthi militants took control of Sana'a, Yemen has been witnessing a civil war. The Houthis, along with supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, forced President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi to flee to Aden. The regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia began its military operations in 2015 to support Hadi's government and counter the Houthis. According to AFP, since the military intervention of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, 4,400 people have been killed. The report states that at least 2,000 Yemenis have died from cholera since April of this year, and it is said that the number of cases of this disease will reach at least 600,000 this year. According to the Red Cross, only 45% of Yemen's medical facilities are operational, while the rest are out of service. The Red Cross has also warned of the possibility of the spread of other diseases such as malaria in Yemen due to the breakdown of a large portion of the country's medical and health systems. Meanwhile, Abdullah al-Mualimi, Saudi Arabia's representative to the United Nations, also stated that Iran should have no role in the region. Relations between the two countries soured after the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia and the attack on its diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad. Iran and Saudi Arabia accuse each other of interfering in their internal affairs, an accusation that is denied by the other side.