Iran, Saudi Arabia Hold Talks on Regional Security Amid Yemen Clashes

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan held a phone conversation on Thursday to discuss what Tehran described as “growing insecurity” and escalating tensions across the region, amid renewed fighting in Yemen.

Iran provides military and financial support to Yemen’s Houthi movement, which has controlled large parts of the country’s north for years and on Thursday captured the strategically important Red Sea port city of Mocha.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has long backed Yemen’s internationally recognised government and has conducted airstrikes against the Houthis as the group expanded its territorial control.

The two regional powers have also been on opposing sides during the broader Middle East conflict, with Iran launching attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and US-linked targets in the kingdom.

According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Araghchi and bin Farhan discussed the “escalation of tensions and the growing insecurity in the region.” Both sides stressed the importance of maintaining diplomatic efforts and cooperation to prevent tensions from spreading and to restore regional stability.

Although Tehran’s statement on the call did not directly refer to Yemen, a separate Foreign Ministry statement on the conflict said the Yemeni crisis could not be resolved through “military intervention”.

The Houthis have held Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and the key port of Hodeida for years. In recent days, however, they have launched a fresh offensive towards the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital gateway to the Red Sea.

The Red Sea has become increasingly important as a trade route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal, particularly amid the wider Middle East conflict and Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Using drones and missiles, the Houthis have disrupted maritime traffic in the Red Sea, attempted to restrict shipping to Saudi ports and targeted oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia.

Yemen descended back into open conflict in July after years of relative calm, with sporadic violence continuing alongside worsening economic conditions and poverty.

On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the group had launched ballistic missiles and drones towards several cities in southern Saudi Arabia.