RIYADH (AA) – Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Wednesday ruled outholding negotiations with Iran on resolving the five-year conflict inYemen.
On Monday, an Iranian government spokesman said Riyadh had sent messages toIranian President Hassan Rouhani through the leaders of other countries.
But al-Jubeir described the Iranian statement as “inaccurate”. “Whathappened was that sister countries sought to calm the situation, and wetold them that the position of the kingdom was to always seek security andstability in the region,” he said on Twitter.
“We also told them that de-escalation should come from the party that isescalating and spreading chaos,” he said. In an interview with CBS News onMonday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Saudi Arabia was opento all initiatives for a political solution in Yemen.
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Tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran has mounted recently after attacks ontwo oil facilities of Aramco, an attack for which Riyadh and Washingtonheld Tehran responsible, which the country has denied.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of arming Houthi rebels in Yemen, which overranmuch of the country, including capital Sanaa, in 2014. In 2015, SaudiArabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed atrolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and supporting the country’s pro-Saudigovernment.
