'No military solutions': Iran offers to mediate as Saudi-Houthi conflict escalates
Iran has urged Saudi Arabia to avoid a military approach and pursue a political solution to its escalating conflict with Yemen’s Houthi group, offering to help facilitate dialogue after deadly attacks on Saudi airports intensified regional tensions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the offer during a telephone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Sunday, according to statements reported by the Saudi state news agency and Iranian media.
“Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation,” Araghchi said.
The region’s crises had no military solutions, he said, adding that Tehran was ready to provide assistance to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and help achieve a political settlement.
The development comes as tensions escalate in Saudi Arabia, which has come under repeated attacks by the Yemeni Houthis.
On Saturday, an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 12 people and injured 309, according to Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation.
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The death toll subsequently rose to 13 after an Indian national who had been injured in the strike died, according to Reuters.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also called for dialogue during a briefing on Monday, saying Tehran did not want hostilities to continue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis.
“We do not want hostilities to continue between two Muslim countries, especially as the region is already facing tensions caused by the United States and Israel,” Baghaei said.
“We have consistently stressed that the people of Yemen have the right to live with dignity, free from pressure, sanctions and blockade,” he added, reiterating Iran’s readiness to help resolve the crisis through dialogue.
A separate attack by the Houthis on Sunday killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 others, according to the Saudi authorities.
Several international airlines have also suspended services to the Saudi capital. Reuters reported that Lufthansa cancelled flights to Riyadh until 16 October, while Air France-KLM extended its suspension through the end of October.
Houthi warning
The Houthis have warned airlines, shipping companies, airport employees and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, with the exception of airports serving Mecca and Medina.
In a statement posted on X on Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was renewing its warning to aviation and navigation companies, workers and travellers.
“The Yemeni armed forces renew their warning to all aviation and navigation companies, experts, staff, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace,” Saree said.
“The airports and airspace are exposed to targeting and constitute a theatre of operations for our forces, with the exception of the airports of Makkah and Madina,” he added.
He urged people to “take our warnings seriously” and said Saudi Arabia would bear responsibility for failed interceptions.
The Houthis, officially called Ansar Allah, have claimed responsibility for the attacks on Riyadh airport, as well as additional strikes on Dammam airport and Saudi Aramco facilities, according to Reuters.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the group in Yemen described the deadly Riyadh attack as a “full-fledged war crime”.
Iran and Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations in 2023 under a Chinese-brokered agreement after a seven-year rupture.
Despite their longstanding regional rivalry, the two governments have maintained diplomatic channels.
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