Yemen accuses Iran of orchestrating escalation and backing Houthi threats

The activities of Yemen’s Houthis are aimed at advancing Tehran’s regional interests and pose a threat to security in the Middle East, Yemen’s Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba, who represents the internationally recognised government, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The foreign minister said there are deliberate attempts to turn Yemen and its strategic geographical position into a platform for carrying out Iranian threats against neighbouring states, international ports and key maritime routes, Caliber.Az reports.

Al-Zouba stressed that, with Iran’s support, the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden have effectively been turned into instruments of external pressure and blackmail.

“The terrorist Houthi movement has expanded their cooperation and exchange of interests with terrorist elements and organizations, smuggling networks linked to the Yemeni arena, terrorist groups in the Horn of Africa, and armed groups in Iraq,” she noted.

The minister also said the escalation organised by the Houthis and their strikes on targets in Saudi Arabia came at a time when Riyadh was seeking to return the conflict to the path of a political settlement.

According to her, amid continued Iranian influence over the Houthis, Yemen and other countries in the region support the creation of a “multinational defensive maritime coalition” to counter such threats systematically.

The minister’s remarks come against the backdrop of a fresh escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia that has significantly heightened regional security concerns. 

Tensions flared in mid-July 2026 after airstrikes hit the runway at Sanaa airport, preventing an Iranian flight carrying a senior Houthi delegation from landing, prompting the Houthis to fire missiles and drones at targets in southern Saudi Arabia, including Abha airport.

The group then declared a maritime blockade of Saudi ports, attacked commercial vessels and oil tankers in the Red Sea, and later struck Saudi oil facilities in places such as Yanbu and Jizan while also targeting government-aligned forces inside Yemen. 

UN officials have warned that these exchanges mark the highest risk of a return to large-scale fighting since the 2022 truce.

By Jeyhun Aghazada