A Houthi official met with the Iranians this week, according to Houthi-linked media in Yemen.
According to the report Mohammad Abdul Salam, who is the head of the Iran-backed Houthi negotiating delegation, met with Mohammed Ghalibaf in Iran, Ghalibaf is on Iran’s Shura council and he is an important figure. He also met with Iran’s foreign minister and other officials and the Houthis discussed policies against Israel and other issues in the region.
Salam has handled relations with Iran in the past. In 2018, when his role was Houthi spokesperson, he met with Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif. At the time they were discussing the Yemeni Civil War involvement of Iran and Saudi Arabia. He has been a chief negotiator for the Houthis in more recent years.
He has also put out statements about Houthi attacks on ships and threats to Israel. This means his meeting with the Iranians this week is important. The Houthis carried out several attacks over the weekend and this week, including missile attacks and using small boats to harass a ship. Other reports say an Iranian destroyer is now in the Red Sea.
According to the reports at Al-Masirah Houthi media, the Houthi official met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. They “discussed issues of common interest between the two countries, the peace path, UN negotiations, the Israeli aggression against Gaza, and the necessity of strengthening the steadfastness of the valiant Palestinian resistance.” He also held other meetings about “Yemen and Palestine.” He also met with the Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Ali Akbar Ahmadian.
Houthis want to increase role in Middle East
The meetings are related to other developments. The entry of an Iranian warship into the Red Sea increases tensions. In addition, the Houthis launched more missiles on the night of January 2 against ships. The Houthis also slammed the killing of Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on January 2. The Houthis want to increase their role. In addition, it appears pro-Hamas networks in the West have now begun to put out calls of support for the Houthis are protest. This is globalizing the Houthi role in the current conflict.
The fact Houthi media has highlighted the current meetings with the Iranians shows this is not clandestine, but rather an open call to unite the various “arenas” in the region as part of Iran’s regional policy against Israel and the US.
