The recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran brought with it renewed hope that a comprehensive, lasting peace deal may be on the horizon in Yemen, home to a near decade-long civil war that has fueled one of the worst humanitarian crises on the planet.
After all, Yemen’s civil war featured a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized government seeking to defeat the Iranian-backed rebel Houthi movement, in what was widely seen as a proxy war between the region’s two heavyweights.
But Iran should still take that step, officials say. They argue that Iran has an opportunity to show it is serious about both restoring normal diplomatic relations with Riyadh and playing a positive role in ending a regional conflict, rather than helping to perpetuate one. That political process hinges on continued direct negotiations between the Yemeni government and rebel groups. The conflict has largely cooled since the two sides struck a cease-fire deal in April 2022, which came at a crucial moment in the fight. By the end of 2021, the United Nations estimated that about 377,000 people died as a result of the war, some by direct military action and many more from hunger and disease.
“Maintaining this truce and strengthening progress toward peace has been a main focus of my administration’s engagement with our partners in the Middle East,” President Biden said in an April 2 statement marking the ceasefire’s one-year anniversary. “That focus will continue intensively as we seek to build on this extraordinary progress and support all efforts towards a comprehensive resolution to this terrible conflict.
Coming on the heels of the Saudi-Iran agreement, the prisoner release suggested that momentum was building toward a final, lasting peace deal.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Saudis, Iranians agree to reopen embassies, ease air travelIran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency says Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to reopen diplomatic missions in their respective capitals and in additional cities. The report says the agreement was reached Thursday during a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing. The agreement also calls for studying the possibility of resuming flights between the two nations and facilitating the visa process for the citizens of both countries. Saudi Arabia and Iran are long-time regional rivals, but have moved toward reconciliation as part of a deal brokered by China last month.
Read more »
Iran welcomes US call to back Yemen peace processIranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani says US envoy's call for peace 'gratifying', stressing that Tehran had been 'striving for a peace process since the beginning of the war'.
Read more »
Saudi-Iran deal spurs wider normalization waveThe foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran will meet in Beijing tomorrow under the auspices of their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in another significant step in resuming full diplomatic relations.
Read more »
Foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi meet in ChinaThe foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in China for the first formal meeting of their most senior diplomats in more than seven years, Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya television said, under a deal to revive ties between the regional powers.
Read more »
Iran, Saudi ministers meet in Beijing for landmark breakthroughThe foreign ministers of Middle East rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia meet in Beijing, Tehran said, paving the way for normalised ties under a China-brokered deal.
Read more »
Iran’s FM says agreement reached with Saudi FM on joint planIran and Saudia Arabia have agreed to jointly pursue economic stability, the Iranian foreign minister said Thursday, as well as reopen missions in their respective countries as the regional rivals stepped toward reconciliation after seven years of tension.
Read more »