Saudi Foreign Minister: We Agree with Britain on the Necessity of Confronting Iran

Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, emphasized during a press conference with his British counterpart Boris Johnson on Wednesday, March 7, that London and Riyadh agree on the necessity of confronting Iran's actions. According to the English-language website Al Arabiya, al-Jubeir also stated that Saudi Arabia supports a transitional process and political dialogues in Yemen. He further clarified that the war in Yemen was imposed on them. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia began a military operation in 2015 in support of Yemen's legitimate government and against the Iranian-backed Houthi Shiite militants. Currently, the Houthi militants control Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. Al-Jubeir accused the Houthi rebels of opposing any political solution to the war in Yemen. He stated that Saudi Arabia agrees with Britain on the necessity of 'confronting Iran and stopping its support for terrorism.' According to the report, Boris Johnson also mentioned during the press conference that Iran has played a destructive and dangerous role in Yemen and destabilizes the region. Arab and Western countries accuse Iran of violating UN sanctions by sending missiles and other weapons. Meanwhile, Iranian officials deny sending weapons to the Houthi rebels. In this context, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, previously responded to statements from British and French officials, stating, 'The claim of sending missiles to Yemen amid the severe blockade of this country is false and an amateurish scenario.' Last week, Russia vetoed a proposed British resolution to extend arms sanctions on Yemen, which expressed concern over Iran's inability to prevent violations of these sanctions. In response to this veto, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, emphasized that if Russia continues to use its veto power to prevent action against Iran's dangerous and destabilizing behaviors, the US and its partners must take actions against Iran that Russia cannot prevent. The US ambassador also previously stated that the Iranian government is the source of most problems in this Middle Eastern region.