Progress in Iran-Europe Negotiations Regarding the Yemen Crisis

Reuters reports, citing sources and officials from Iran and Europe, that the two sides have made 'progress' in negotiations to end the war in Yemen, with Iran expressing readiness to 'establish a ceasefire and alleviate the humanitarian crisis' in the country. According to Reuters, these negotiations began in February as part of diplomatic efforts to prevent the U.S. from exiting the JCPOA and imposing sanctions against Iran. These talks are separate from the nuclear agreement discussions and aim to address some of the U.S. concerns regarding Iran's role in the region and to convince Washington that Europe can indeed extract concessions from Iran. The focus of these negotiations has primarily been on the conflicts in Yemen, which over the past three and a half years has become a battleground between the Saudi-led military coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Iran has denied Saudi Arabia's accusations of providing military assistance to the Houthis and instead holds Riyadh responsible for exacerbating the crisis. A senior Iranian official told Reuters, 'Due to the humanitarian disaster in Yemen, we have agreed to cooperate with Britain, France, and Germany to end the war in that country. The goal is to establish a ceasefire to assist innocent civilians. We will use our influence to persuade our allies to negotiate.' Diplomats from the three European countries also stated that the negotiations have 'made significant progress and are on the right track.' According to United Nations statistics, more than 10,000 people have been killed in the Yemen war, with three million displaced internally, creating one of the most extensive current crises in the world. Israel and Saudi Arabia, Iran's main rivals in the region, supported Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, stating that the agreement has failed to prevent 'Iran's harmful behavior in Syria, Yemen, and other parts of the world.' Iran denies interference in the affairs of other countries, but Iranian officials have spoken of 'advisory assistance' in various contexts, including Yemen. Reuters adds that European powers have been trying to convince Tehran to moderate its actions regionally, including in Yemen, to protect Iran from U.S. sanctions. An unnamed European diplomat stated, 'The Iranians have shown that they are willing to use their contacts with the Houthis to make progress towards a ceasefire. Iran now at least acknowledges that there is a channel for contact. They will not say that they control the Houthis and will never say such a thing. But they at least accept that they have some influence over the Houthis and are willing to use it. This is new.' Abbas Araqchi, Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that negotiations regarding Yemen are proceeding in parallel with discussions with the three European countries that are signatories to the JCPOA. In an interview with Iranian state television, he said: 'The nuclear agreement is not related to regional issues. Iran will not negotiate its influence in the region except concerning Yemen and due to the humanitarian crisis in that country.' Another European diplomat also mentioned that the negotiations are progressing well and added, 'The Iranians told us they are willing to take action regarding a ceasefire, but they say the Houthis are not ready. So it is somewhat like the chicken and egg situation. Now we need to be able to reach a specific outcome from these negotiations.' Neither the Houthi rebels nor the Yemeni government has commented on these negotiations so far.