Iran says Saudi Arabia, Houthis have not answered mediation offer
Iran said Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis have not responded to its offer to mediate talks, while Tehran warned that foreign intervention, including possible Egyptian support for Riyadh, would complicate matters.
CAIRO, Oct 20 - Iran has not received a response from Saudi Arabia or Yemen's Houthis to its offer to help broker talks to end the fighting between them, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a television interview aired on Tuesday.
Araqchi offered to help facilitate dialogue as the Iran-aligned Houthis intensified strikes on Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
In the interview with Iraq's Al Ekhbariya TV, Araqchi also responded to the possibility of Egypt joining Saudi Arabia in the war against the Houthis.
"Any foreign intervention would complicate matters," he said, adding Cairo has previously told Tehran that it would "not directly" interfere in the Yemeni conflict.
Egypt has said it is ready to provide Saudi Arabia with the support it needs to defend its security, potentially raising the stakes in the Middle East.
A vote in the Egyptian parliament on a possible move against the Houthi fighters by the country's military, one of the Arab world's largest, was delayed until October 26. REUTERS
Source: The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/iran-says-saudi-arabia-houthis-have-not-answered-mediation-offer
