The denial came a day after a Saudi foreign ministryaccused Tehran of encouraging the latest escalation, as Houthi attacks continued to target Saudi territory and military assets.
Iran on Friday rejected Saudi Arabia’s accusation that it had encouraged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to escalate attacks against the kingdom, calling the allegation “not credible” and offering to mediate to end the hostilities.
The denial came a day after a Saudi foreign ministry official accused Tehran of encouraging the latest escalation, as Houthi attacks continued to target Saudi territory and military assets.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any claim that Iran has played a role in Yemeni (Houthi) operations,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement.
“Yemen’s armed forces act according to their own interests and assessments, and such claims are not credible to those familiar with relations between Iran and its friends,” he added.
Iran Offers To Mediate
Baqaei said Tehran did not believe an escalation would benefit any party and reiterated Iran’s willingness to help bring the fighting to an end.
“Iran does not consider an escalation of tensions to be in the interests of any party,” he said, adding that Tehran “has always been ready to use its good offices to help end the hostilities”.
Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy Rayed Krimly said the Houthis had rejected an offer to meet in Oman at the beginning of the latest round of hostilities.
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missiles, Drones
A spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition said on Friday that its forces had intercepted and destroyed three drones over southern Saudi Arabia and Riyadh, along with two cruise missiles over the Red Sea.
The coalition also intercepted a ballistic missile over Yanbu, a Red Sea city that serves as the terminus of a major oil pipeline.
The Houthis have intensified their attacks since launching an offensive in Yemen in September, seizing strategic territory along the Red Sea coast.
The escalation has added pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, as global energy markets face further disruption amid the wider Middle East conflict.
