Iran's Foreign Ministry Denies Receiving Message from the U.S. for Negotiations on Yemen

After Fars News Agency claimed that the U.S. invited Iran for negotiations on Yemen through Oman, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry emphasized that "the Islamic Republic has not received any message for dialogue with third parties regarding Yemen." Fars News reported on Thursday, September 16, under the title "Is a Regional JCPOA Starting from Yemen?" that "recently, the Omani government delivered a note to the Islamic Republic's embassy in Muscat conveying a confidential message from the U.S. requesting negotiations with Iran over Yemen." The author of the Fars report, citing an "informed source," claimed that Washington submitted this message "before John Kerry's recent trip to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and his presentation of a 'plan' to resolve the Yemen crisis, specifically on August 12 (22 Mordad)." This report was echoed in the Saturday edition of the Javan newspaper, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claiming that Saudi Arabia's failure in Yemen was the reason for inviting Iran to negotiate on Yemen. However, Iranian news agencies on Saturday reflected the statements of Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, who denied the receipt of a message from the U.S. regarding the Yemen crisis. Mr. Qasemi emphasized that "the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran has not received any message for dialogue with third parties about the Yemen crisis, and this news is denied." Since the onset of the Yemen crisis, Iran has repeatedly stated that, in its view, resolving this crisis is only possible through "dialogue among Yemeni parties." Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic has always emphasized its moral support for the Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which leads an Arab coalition in support of the Yemeni government against the Houthi alliance and Ali Abdullah Saleh, accuses Iran of military support for the Houthis. In the latest instance, on Thursday, Saudi Arabia complained to the UN Security Council, accusing Tehran of smuggling weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Riyadh claims that this action violates a UN resolution that prohibits any arms shipments to this group. In a letter that Saudi Arabia provided to the rotating president of the Security Council, it emphasized that discoveries by the naval forces of Australia, France, and the U.S. "have shown that a large volume of illegal weapons seized originated from Iran." A few weeks ago, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, also accused Iran of sending weapons to the Houthis, stating that "Iran, through military intervention and support for the Houthis, exacerbates the unrest in Yemen." According to the latest statistics provided by the United Nations, at least 10,000 people have been killed and three million displaced during the 18 months of conflict in Yemen.