Iran urges Persian Gulf Arab states to help avert Yemen war

“The [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council can promote national Yemeni-Yemeni dialog by offering genuine help to prevent terrorist actions and a civil war in the country,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Sunday.

He added that fugitive Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi is expected to stop repeating mistakes and play a “constructive role to avert disintegration of Yemen and turning Aden into a new heaven for terrorists.”

The official emphasized that terrorism is aimed at "ruining" Yemen and "destroying" all countries and groups in 6the Middle East region and across the globe.

The Iranian official warned that the use of terrorism as an instrument in the region and particularly in Yemen would be a “strategic mistake” which would further threaten security in the region.

Amir-Abdollahian reaffirmed Tehran’s strong commitment to anti-terrorism campaign, saying, “We support Yemen on its effort to fight terrorism, complete its political process and establish lasting regional security.”

He added that Iran would proceed with its regional and international consultations in an attempt to bolster the political process in Yemen in cooperation with all groups in the Arab country.

The Iranian official called on all regional countries to remain vigilant and take into account the fact that the "illegitimate Israeli regime" is the main supporter and instigator of terrorists.

Amir-Abdollahian’s remarks came two days after Hadi gave a televised speech challenging the Houthis. He called the movement’s rule in the capital and elsewhere a “coup against constitutional legitimacy.”

Following the speech, Ansarullah called for a “general mobilization” against forces loyal to the embattled president.
The Yemeni Houthis, in a statement from the movement’s Supreme Revolutionary Committee issued on Saturday, described the motive behind the move as “deteriorating security conditions in the country” and the “war imposed on the Yemeni people on all fronts.”

Hadi, along with members of Prime Minister Khaled Bahah’s cabinet, stepped down in late January, but the parliament did not approve the president's resignation. Hadi then fled his home in Sana’a on February 21, after weeks under effective house arrest and went to Aden, Yemen’s second largest city in the south, where he officially withdrew his resignation and highlighted his intention to resume duties. This came weeks after the Houthi fighters took control of Sana’a in September 2014.
Some Persian Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, have already relocated their embassies from Sana’a to Aden.

The Houthi movement played a key role in the 2011 popular uprising that forced the longtime dictator, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to quit after 33 years in power. The revolutionaries say the government has been incapable of properly running the affairs of the country and providing security.