Aden – Saba: Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has strongly condemned a statement issued by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Yemen, describing it as carrying misleading allegations and amounting to open interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Yemen.
In a statement, the ministry said the Iranian position was an attempt to provide political and media cover to the Houthi militia and to evade responsibility for prolonging the war and worsening the humanitarian tragedy of the Yemeni people.
The ministry said Tehran’s statement reflected its open adoption of the narrative of the putschist militia and its justification of the militia’s practices. It added that this came alongside findings by competent Yemeni agencies that Iranian interference had moved beyond financing, arming and training to direct involvement in planning and managing operations.
According to the ministry, military support on the ground, coupled with diplomatic cover at international forums, is further evidence of Iran’s role in undermining the Yemeni state and threatening regional security as well as vital waterways.
The ministry rejected what it called the Iranian regime’s exploitation of the victims of the Souq Al-Hadarah incident in Al-Wazi’iyah district of Taiz governorate, or any other area, to promote accusations that contradict announcements made by competent Yemeni authorities. It also referred to calls for independent investigations into violations of human rights and international law by the Houthi militia.
The Foreign Ministry recalled the Interior Ministry’s announcement regarding the presence of 21 foreign experts working with the Houthi militia, including 14 from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and seven from Hezbollah.
It said their roles included command and control, managing operations, work on ballistic missiles, drones and electronic warfare, smuggling military components, and coordinating maritime operations, including the selection of commercial vessels for targeting. The ministry said these tasks amounted to a complete general staff structure, going beyond training to supervision, planning and direction of operations, for which Yemenis pay the price through their lives, security and livelihoods.
The ministry stressed that by arming the Houthi militia and supplying it with experts, Tehran enabled the group to continue what it described as terrorism in Yemen, including abductions, killings, intimidation of civilians, shelling of cities and civilian facilities, and the siege and starvation of populations.
It added that the militia had also carried out repeated attacks on the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, commercial shipping, and navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The ministry said this interference reflected a long-standing pattern pursued by the Iranian regime to undermine the security of states in the region by financing armed groups that challenge national governments’ authority over the use of force and decisions of war and peace.
It recalled that the arms embargo imposed under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216, and expanded under Resolution 2624 to cover the Houthis as an entity, includes weapons, equipment, technical assistance, training and financing linked to military activities.
The ministry said Iran’s own interests, security and future relations in the region required respect for the sovereignty of states, good-neighbourly relations based on shared interests, non-interference in internal affairs, and an end to the policy of arming affiliated subversive groups.
It added that the Iranian regime would be better served by using its resources and wealth to improve the living conditions of the Iranian people and meet their needs for development, services and employment, instead of spending on weapons, smuggling networks and activities that destabilise the region.
The ministry noted that during 12 years of war, which it said was ignited by the Houthi militia with Iranian backing, Tehran had offered Yemenis only missiles, suicide drones, explosive-laden boats and experts of destruction.
In contrast, it said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had provided major relief, humanitarian and development assistance, along with numerous facilitation measures for Yemeni expatriates, whose work and remittances help sustain millions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said respect for Yemen’s sovereignty begins with halting the arming of militias, withdrawing experts and ending interference in Yemen’s national decision-making. It said that if Tehran was genuinely concerned about Yemeni lives, it should first stop using the very tools that prolong their suffering and deepen destruction.
