Iran has offered to help broker talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, the Yemeni group also known as Ansar Allah, following a run of deadly attacks on the kingdom. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke on Sunday with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. It was the first publicly reported exchange between the two since the Iran-aligned Houthis intensified their attacks on Saudi territory.
The outreach came after strikes on Riyadh’s international airport over the weekend. Those attacks killed 14 people and wounded more than 300, according to reports, while Saudi-backed forces kept up their offensive against the Houthis in Yemen. The talks also take place against the backdrop of the wider US-Israel war on Iran, and Tehran may be keen to avoid being pulled into another confrontation.
Strikes on Riyadh and escalating fighting in Yemen
Two strikes on King Khalid International Airport, on Saturday and Sunday, caused the deaths and injuries. Among the casualties were foreign nationals from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Palestine. The violence has also disrupted commercial flights, businesses and schools in Riyadh, highlighting the widening economic and civilian toll of the conflict.
The Houthis have answered with missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, energy infrastructure and other targets. On October 4, the internationally recognised government’s forces launched Operation Dawn of Yemen, aiming to reverse recent Houthi territorial gains, including in the capital, Sanaa. Government forces, backed by Riyadh, say they have advanced near the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital international shipping route. Competing battlefield claims, however, are difficult to verify independently.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg warned on Friday that the country had returned to full-scale war, with civilians bearing the heaviest impact of the attacks.
What Tehran and Riyadh have said so far
The Saudi state news agency said the two foreign ministers discussed the recent escalation and ways to ease tensions. Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the exchange. Afterwards, Araghchi warned on Sunday that pushing a military solution would only deepen the crisis, and he offered Tehran’s help in fostering dialogue between Riyadh and the Houthis, according to the ministry.
On Monday, ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei repeated Tehran’s readiness to mediate. He said Iran was deeply worried about developments in the Arabian Peninsula and that it did not want hostilities between two Muslim-majority countries to continue. Baghaei also argued that the conflict served Israeli interests, presenting a negotiated settlement as the better path.
Iran has repeatedly called for a diplomatic settlement to Yemen’s conflict, saying it backs a political solution over continued military action. Tehran supports the Houthis, who control Sanaa and other parts of the country. The group is part of the Iran-aligned “axis of resistance”, which also includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah and armed groups in Iraq. Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition backing the Yemeni government since 2015.
Analysts weigh Iran’s motives and its limits
Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for International Policy, said Tehran is an ally of Ansar Allah and holds influence over the group, although it does not dictate its choices. She said that by offering to facilitate talks with Riyadh, Iran was casting itself as an essential party to any wider regional settlement. Mortazavi added that the larger goal could be an informal non-aggression arrangement between Iran and its allies on one side and the United States and its regional partners on the other.
Such an arrangement, she said, would have to end hostilities on several fronts, including Yemen and Lebanon, rather than focusing narrowly on the US-Iran confrontation.
Andreas Krieg, a Middle East security analyst at King’s College London, said Iran was trying to convert Yemen from a military liability into a diplomatic asset. He said Tehran sees Saudi Arabia struggling to reverse Houthi gains around Taiz and Bab al-Mandeb, despite a stepped-up military campaign. In his view, Araghchi’s offer aims to present Iran as part of the answer to a crisis it has also helped prolong.
Krieg also pointed to what he called a Saudi dimension. He said Riyadh is growing uneasy about its reliance on Washington, is frustrated by the limited American willingness to step into Yemen, and is wary of leaning on the UAE again. Iran, he argued, sees a chance to show that engaging with Tehran can deliver what Saudi Arabia’s traditional security partnerships have failed to provide.
Economic factors also play a role, the analysts noted. Iran is under heavy pressure from a US blockade, while Gulf countries are slowly bringing their energy exports back to pre-war levels despite Iranian disruptions. Krieg said that offering Riyadh a route out of Yemen could give Tehran leverage well beyond the Yemeni arena, particularly in talks over the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions relief and the broader regional security framework.
Krieg cautioned, however, against overstating Iran’s sway over the Houthis. He said the group has its own political ambitions, increasingly views itself as a regional military player, and believes its recent territorial gains have improved its bargaining position. Iran can facilitate talks and may influence how intense the escalation becomes, he said, but it cannot simply order the Houthis to give up their gains around Mocha or Bab al-Mandeb.
Mortazavi concluded that the broader message from Tehran is that regional security cannot be treated in isolation. She said Saudi Arabia cannot find security from attacks while Iran and its allies remain under military and economic pressure.
