Yemen calls US to stop Iranian support for Houthis

ADEN, Yemen

The Yemeni government urged the US on Friday to pressure Iran to cut support for the Houthi rebel group.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak held a video conference meeting with US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley and discussed "the damage by Iran to the peace process in Yemen through its destabilizing and destructive intervention,” according to the official Saba News Agency.

Mubarak called for the US to put pressure on Iran's support for the Houthis and to stop arms smuggling against Houthi militias targeting civilians.

“Iran has played a role in damaging the security and stability of Yemen and Arab countries by using Houthi militias in recent years,” said Mubarak.

Stressing that the civil war in Yemen has been prolonged because of Iran's support for the Houthi militia, he said the region has become a threat to neighboring countries and international peace.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sana'a.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict has claimed more than 233,000 lives.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar