Concerns of Gulf Monarchies Regarding Developments in Yemen and 'Iran's Expanding Influence'

According to Reuters, a senior U.S. State Department official reported on Friday, February 5, following a meeting with John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, that Gulf Arab states are worried about the situation in Yemen and their concerns about 'Iran's expanding influence.' The unnamed official stated that the Gulf monarchies are concerned about Iran's influence in relation to the developments in Yemen, but no one mentioned contacting the Iranians. The U.S. official added that there are currently 'many' discussions about diplomatic and security measures to stabilize the situation in Yemen. This concern was expressed during a meeting between the Gulf monarchies and John Kerry in Munich, which included the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. Meanwhile, the Gulf monarchies have called on the international community to adopt a firmer stance regarding the events in Yemen. They believe that the global community, through the United Nations or other international bodies, should monitor the developments in Yemen more closely and that the Security Council should hold more meetings dedicated to Yemen. On the other hand, according to AFP, the Security Council is considering the possibility of imposing sanctions against the Houthi militants following the political developments in Yemen on Friday. The Shia Yemeni rebels announced on Friday, February 5, that they had dissolved the Yemeni parliament and formed a leadership council to manage Yemen's affairs. The Houthis stated that the establishment of a presidential council is necessary to 'fill the political vacuum' that has arisen. Iran officially supports the continuation of negotiations among Yemeni factions, but commanders from the Revolutionary Guard and affiliated media in Tehran have expressed satisfaction with the Houthis' rise to power. Arab media also reported on Saturday, February 6, that in a recent regional development, six Gulf monarchies reached a consensus to recall their ambassadors from Yemen, which implies a severance of relations with the new rulers of Yemen. The Security Council's readiness to impose sanctions on the Houthis was also reported. The rotating president of the Security Council stated that if negotiations among Yemeni factions to end the unrest do not resume, the council is prepared to impose 'immediate' sanctions. The Security Council has demanded the unconditional release of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President, and other senior Yemeni officials who have been besieged by Houthi forces in recent days. According to the Associated Press, Mark Lyall Grant, the British ambassador to the UN, expressed 'hope' that there would be 'an ear to hear the Security Council's message' in Yemen. King Salman, the new king of Saudi Arabia, consulted with Barack Obama about Yemen two weeks ago in Riyadh, but since then, the situation in Yemen has changed in favor of the Shia and Iran, which is considered their supporter, and to the detriment of Saudi Arabia and the monarchies. Meanwhile, the White House stated last week that there is no definitive evidence of Iran's support for the Houthis. Supporters of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi condemned the actions of the Shia Houthi faction as a 'coup.' In recent days, hundreds of thousands of supporters of Abdrabbuh and the central government have protested in the streets of Sana'a and other cities, stating that they oppose turning their country into another Somalia, which is struggling in great chaos. The lack of decisive central power in Sana'a could also destabilize Yemen's borders with Saudi Arabia. Yemen has been fighting alongside the U.S. against Al-Qaeda forces, which are mainly based in southern Yemen, since the presidency of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Ali Abdullah Saleh was injured and ousted from power in 2012, and his successor, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, has been under house arrest since last month when Houthi forces took control of the presidential residence and important government buildings in Sana'a. In recent days, U.S. drones killed Harith al-Nazari, a key Al-Qaeda leader in Yemen who was responsible for the attack by the Kouachi brothers on the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris, in a strike in southern Yemen.