In a move that may shake up the agreements reached between the US and Iran last week, a top US official announced on Tuesday that America will take a more active role in supporting the Saudi-led campaign against Iranian-backed Houthi Shi’ite militias in Yemen.
US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said America is speeding up its supply of weapons to the Saudi-led coalition which is fighting to put Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi back in power, reports Reuters.
Blinken made the statement in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, after meeting Hadi and Gulf Arab member states that are taking part in the airstrikes against the Houthi fighters backed by Iran.
He added that the US is increasing intelligence sharing with the Saudi coalition, saying that the coalition is sending a “strong message to the Houthis and their allies that they cannot overrun Yemen by force.”
The mention of the Houthis’ allies is seen as a direct reference to Iran, with it remaining unclear how the Iranians will react to America’s increased intervention in blocking their efforts to expand Iranian influence in Yemen.
The US along with world powers sealed a framework deal on the Islamic regime’s nuclear program last week, but relations between the two sides remain tense, and greater US involvement in the fight in Yemen may have an impact on the ability of the two to reach a final deal by the June 30 deadline.
Houthis have toppled the Yemeni government and are extending their control southwards, capturing key parts of the strategic port city of Aden in the south last week.
The battle in Aden has massive regional implications, given that the port controls the highly strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, the access point to the Red Sea and ultimately Israel’s southern port city of Eilat. The waterway is a key route for Israeli and European trade.
Iran held a major naval drill off the coast of Yemen last December, showing its clear interests in exerting influence in the region. If Aden falls completely to the Houthis, it would become a highly strategic port for Iranian warships, and possibly be a regional game-changer.
