Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of encouraging Houthis in latest escalation

Saudi Arabia accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis on Thursday in the latest escalation of their fight with the kingdom, a foreign ministry official said. Deputy minister Rayed Krimly told reporters in a virtual briefing that Tehran continues to arm and train the group.

Why does Saudi Arabia say Iran is encouraging the Houthis?

Krimly said Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. He said the Houthis' escalation at this latest stage is encouraged by Iran. He added that the kingdom still has direct communications with Iran.

"Iran continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of UN security council resolutions," Dr. Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry, said during the briefing.

"We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran," he later said.

Is Saudi Arabia still talking to Iran and the Houthis?

Krimly said the kingdom remains in communication with Iran, even if Tehran appears unwilling to offer concessions. "We continue to have direct communications with Iran," he told reporters.

"Overall, it doesn't seem yet that the Iranians are able to provide the necessary concessions for a solution," he said.

He also accused the Houthis of refusing to meet in Oman in recent weeks as fighting ramped up between the two sides. "At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman and they refused," he added. "This was the last communication which happened a few weeks ago."

What is behind the escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis?

The world's top crude oil exporter has come under sustained attack in recent days, including a strike on Riyadh's international airport that was the deadliest in years. The war with the Houthis has escalated dramatically.

Yemen's civil war reignited in July after a UN-brokered truce collapsed, months into a wider Middle East war that has rocked the region and roiled energy supplies and markets. The United Nations calls the conflict one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving most of the population dependent on aid.

A Saudi-led coalition fought the Houthis from 2015, after they seized Yemen's capital Sanaa and forced the internationally recognized government out of the city. That fighting continued until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022.