Has the China-led reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia failed? The Houthi rebels in Yemen have officially broken with Saudi Arabia and declared war! On July 23, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced missile and drone attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, accusing the vessels of violating the maritime embargo recently declared by the group.
The Houthis had already announced on the 20th that they would impose a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia starting immediately, in response to what they describe as over 12 years of "unjust and brutal blockade and aggression" against the people of Yemen by Saudi Arabia. In fact, since China's mediation efforts began in 2022 to resolve tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, armed conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia had paused, and both sides maintained relative calm for more than four years. Unexpectedly, hostilities have now resumed—triggered by a sudden air strike launched by Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia on an international airport controlled by the Houthis.
Subsequently, the Houthis retaliated with missile strikes. Thus, this military escalation appears to have been deliberately provoked by Saudi Arabia, while the Houthis were merely responding in self-defense. Another theory suggests that some individuals within the Yemeni government forces intentionally instigated the conflict and then blamed it on Saudi Arabia. The problem is that Saudi Arabia has not denied involvement—for instance, it has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attack on the Houthi-controlled airport.
Therefore, Saudi Arabia’s stance on this matter is quite ambiguous: neither confirming nor denying, yet the military conflict erupted inexplicably. Given that the Houthis are backed by Iran, does Saudi Arabia’s action signify an open break with Iran?
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871461436533769/
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