Apr 10, 2015

While Iranian officials have publicly condemned the Saudi Arabian-led coalition against Yemen, diplomats from Iran’s Foreign Ministry have been meeting with regional leaders to find a peaceful resolution to the bombing campaign that is leading to a humanitarian crisis in the country.

According to Hadi Mohammadi in Khorasan newspaper, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani presented a four-step plan during his joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on April 7. Rouhani called for an end to the bombings on Yemen, preparation on the ground for humanitarian help, “Yemeni-Yemeni negotiations” and talks between the various Yemeni groups and parties in a neutral country. Mohammadi wrote that these statements can be understood to be the first recommendations by Iran to end the crisis in Yemen.

Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, just having completed marathon nuclear talks in Lausanne, was sent to Oman for “consultations,” according to Mohammadi. Zarif welcomed Oman’s role in addressing regional issues, specifically the crisis in Yemen, and stated Iran’s readiness to cooperate in this regard. Zarif expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis and stressed the necessity of talks between the Yemeni parties. Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi also said that dialogue was the “primary path” to resolve the problems Yemen is facing.

After Oman, Zarif traveled to Islamabad, Pakistan where he met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz, Senate Chairman Raza Rabaani and Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif. In a joint press conference with Aziz, when asked about the Iran-Saudi relationship to Yemen, Zarif said, “This is a domestic Yemeni issue, and the path to a solution is also a Yemeni one.”

Iran and Saudi Arabia are locked in a number of indirect conflicts over regional influence, which has escalated sectarian and ethnic hostilities in the region. Saudi Arabia says that their coalition is targeting the Houthi rebels, who they claim are backed by Iran. The Houthis, with help from forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, had toppled the Saudi-backed Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in January 2015. According to the World Health Organization, at least 643 people have been killed and more than 2,000 have been injured since the bombing began.