Yemen Offers To Halt Attacks On Saudi Arabia, Iran Responds

An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman has welcomed an offer by a formation of Yemeni rebels to halt the launch of missiles and drones against Saudi Arabia.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the Yemeni National Salvation Government’s proposal and considers it to be in favor of the establishment of stability and security in the region,” Abbas Mousavi said, according to reporting by Iran’s Fars news agency on September 30.

The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2015, is mostly seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, two countries widely seen as archrivals in the Middle East. The Iranian government has repeatedly stated that it will continue to support the Houthis against the Saudi Arabian-led coalition, which is supported by the United States and is backing the Sunni mainstream.

However, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and other Iranian officials have scoffed at the Trump administration’s allegations and pressure campaign, having denied any involvement in the September 14 drone attacks that hit Saudi oil facilities.

American media reports have stated that Washington was considering possible cyber-attacks against Iran after the drone attacks on oil sites, which U.S. officials blamed on Tehran.

“We encourage the Saudi government to accept this offer. We support any measure for the establishment of ceasefire and an end to the cruel war against the Yemeni nation, and regard this (truce offer) as an important step in restoring peace and stability in the region,” the Iranian spokesperson said on Monday.

Meanwhile, speaking to the CBS program "60 Minutes” on September 29, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned that oil prices could spike to "unimaginably high numbers" if the world does not come together to deter Iran.

"If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests," he said, adding that he would prefer a political rather than a military response to Iran, as a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran would collapse the global economy.

On September 29, the Yemeni Army released footage of a large-scale military offensive, dubbed Victory from God Almighty, carried out by the Houthi rebels and allied fighters in Saudi Arabia’s southern border region of Najran, where three Saudi military brigades were completely destroyed and thousands of militiamen were taken into captivity.