Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Saudi Arabia is trying to drag others into Yemen's conflict to find a way out of the "deadlock", warning the US to avoid deeper involvement in the crisis that has left at least 10,000 dead.
"After suffering repeated defeats in the region, particularly in its aggression against Yemen, Saudi Arabia is taking new measures to [escalate tensions] and involve others in Yemen's conflict," Bahram Qasemi also said in an interview with IRIB News on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia started its military campaign in March 2015 in Yemen, the kingdom's impoverished southern neighbor, saying it aims to restore to power the fugitive president Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.
The campaign has repeatedly pounded civilian targets, including markets, hospitals, schools and factories, the latest of which was this month against a funeral gathering in the Yemeni capital Sana'a that killed 140 people.
The spokesman warned US officials to learn from the experience of their previous wars in Iraq and elsewhere and be careful not to get caught "in traps laid for them by others", as it is too dangerous for them and West Asia.
"The US government should know that the Red Sea and the area Yemen is located in are very sensitive and strategic, and their stability is very important," he said.
Qasemi was referring to the US threats that it may attack Yemenis if its warships are attacked in waters near Yemen.
The threat came after a US warship fired missiles into Yemen to destroy three radar sites that American military claimed played a role in the earlier alleged attacks against its military vessels in the area.
In recent days, the US has claimed that its warships have been targeted by missiles from Yemeni soil.
Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement and its allies have rejected any role in the alleged attacks.
Add new comment
Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints