Secretary of State John Kerry held his first meeting with his Iranian counterpart on Monday since an initial nuclear accord was announced in Lausanne, Switzerland, early this month.

Yet while the main focus was on overcoming the obstacles to a final agreement to constrain Iran’s nuclear program, the crisis in Yemen also cast a shadow over the meeting.

“I am confident that Yemen will be mentioned,” Mr. Kerry told reporters shortly before meeting with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran.

“Yemen’s future should be decided by Yemenis,” Mr. Kerry added, “not by external parties and proxies.”