Iran and European powers have made good progress in talks to end the conflict in Yemen as Tehran is pushing for a solution to the humanitarian crisis there, according to officials on both sides.
The talks were launched in February as part of efforts to explore ways to end a US-backed Suadi-led coalition that has waged a war on the poor Arab nation since 2015.
A senior unnamed Iranian official told Reuters “Because of the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, we have agreed to work with Britain, France and Germany to end the conflict in Yemen.”
“The aim is to secure a ceasefire to help those innocent civilians. We will use our influence to bring our allies to the negotiating table.”
***Catastrophic War
Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement and reinstate former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.
At least 13,600 people have been killed since the onset of Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen. Much of the Arabian Peninsula country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the war.
Saudi Arabia and its allies claim Iran gives military assets to Houthis. Iran denies such claims. However, it has vehemently denounced the Saudi intervention.
***Talks on Right Direction
Three European diplomats said the talks had progressed significantly and were going in the right direction.
“The Iranians have given indications that they are now willing to offer their services to liaise with the Houthis to move forward,” said a European official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“The Iranians are now at least recognizing there is a channel. They obviously aren’t saying they control the Houthis and they never will, but they recognize they have a certain influence on them and ready to use those channels. That’s new.”
***Talks Not Linked to Nuclear Deal
Iran’s senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi said talks on the Yemen conflict were being held in parallel to the nuclear talks with the European signatories of the accord, under which Iran accepted to curb its nuclear work in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
“The nuclear deal is not linked to the regional issues ... Iran will not hold talks on its influence in the region, except for Yemen because of the humanitarian crisis there,” Abbas Araqchi told state TV on Sunday.
***Saudi Rejection
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in April that Saudi Arabia rejected Tehran's offers to facilitate a political solution to the crisis in Yemen.
“At the beginning of the crisis in Yemen in 2013, I wrote a letter to former Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal with the aim of ending the crisis with the aid of Iran and Saudi Arabia. But they denied, saying that the Arab world's affairs do not concern Tehran,” said Zarif in an interview with the BBC's Arabic language service.
Zarif noted that the Saudi rejection was based on the false assumption that they could get what they wanted in Yemen very soon.
