Iran has urged Saudi Arabia to pursue a diplomatic solution to its escalating conflict with Yemen’s Houthi militia, warning that continued military action could worsen the crisis.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the call during a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry.
“Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation,” Araghchi said.
The Iranian government also expressed its readiness to provide any form of support to facilitate the commencement of negotiations, the ministry said.
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi militia escalated sharply over the weekend, with officials reporting that more than a dozen people were killed and hundreds injured in the most serious attack yet on Riyadh’s international airport.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack and warned that Saudi airports and airspace were “legitimate targets”.
The militia said it had deployed ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against airports and energy facilities, including installations belonging to Saudi state-owned oil giant Aramco.
The Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of conducting more than 120 airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and other provinces within 24 hours.
The allegations could not be independently verified.
The Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government for more than a decade.
Although a truce was reached in 2022, it largely brought the conflict to a standstill, but hostilities have flared again amid the wider war involving Iran, raising concerns about further regional instability.
