Iran: 'Good ties' possible if Saudi Arabia changes
Lewis Sanders IV
December 10, 2017
The Iranian president has urged Saudi Arabia to end its war in Yemen and sever alleged ties with Israel to improve relations with the Islamic republic. Iran and Saudi Arabia have witnessed relations nosedive since 2016.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Noroozi
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday said Tehran is willing to resume ties with Saudi Arabia, but only if the kingdom meets certain requirements, including halting its military campaign in Yemen and severing alleged ties with Israel, reported Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.
"We don't have any problem with the country that is our neighbor and unfortunately speaks a lot and speaks irrationally. Saudi Arabia, as our neighbor, should stop bombing Yemen from tomorrow, stop bowing to Israel, stand straight and rely on its nation," Rouhani told parliament.
"Cut off ties with the Zionists and cut off bombings against Yemen, and then we won't have any problem with Saudi Arabia and can have good ties, but they should be the starter."
Rouhani criticized Saudi Arabia for leading a war in Yemen, which has left at least 10,000 people dead and caused catastrophic damage to infrastructure, in what appeared to be an extension of good will for restoring relations.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told parliament that the conditions for restoring relations with Saudi Arabia were clearImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Salemi
Growing tensions
Tensions between both countries have escalated over the past year, with geopolitical conflicts and political crises unfolding across the Middle East.
Since cutting diplomatic ties, Saudi Arabia has increasingly described Iran as the premiere "state sponsor of terrorism" in the region, attempting to curb Tehran's influence in the region by backing opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen. The US and Israel have used similar rhetoric to describe Iran.
But US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday drew a distinction between the kingdom's domestic political shuffling and its latest foreign policy moves in the region, saying the US strongly supports policy shifts targeting corruption but questions interventions in other countries.
"With respect to Saudi Arabia's engagement with Qatar, how they're handling the Yemen war that they're engaged in, the Lebanon situation, we would encourage them to be a bit more measured and a bit more thoughtful in those actions to – I think – fully consider the consequences," Tillerson said.
The US has called on Saudi authorities to end their blockade in Yemen, which has prevented ships and planes from arriving at the country's ports and airports to deliver humanitarian aid and food supplies.
Yemen has struggled to cope with crises prompted by its atrocious civil war, including catastrophic hunger and devastating cholera outbreaks. DW examines the conflict and how it affects the country's civilian population.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
War: The 'root cause' of Yemen's disasters
The UN has identified conflict as the "root cause" of Yemen's crises. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the war erupted in 2014, when Shiite Houthi rebels launched a campaign to capture the capital, Sanaa. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched a deadly campaign against the rebels, one that has been widely criticized by human rights groups for its high civilian death toll.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Fighting keeps food from the famished
The conflict has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching large parts of the civilian population, resulting in more than two-thirds of the country's 28 million people being classified as "food insecure." Nearly 3 million children and pregnant or nursing women are acutely malnourished, according to the UN World Food Program.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Displacement: Converging crises
More than 3 million people have been displaced by conflict, including marginalized communities such as the "Muhammasheen," a minority tribe that originally migrated from Africa. Despite the civil war, many flee conflict in Somalia and head to Yemen, marking the convergence of two major migration crises in the Middle East nation. Yemen hosts around 250,000 Somali refugees, according to UNHCR.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Cholera: A deadly epidemic
The number of suspected cholera cases has exceeded more than 2 million and least 3,700 people have died from the waterborne bacterial infection in Yemen since October 2019, said the WHO. Although cholera can be easily treated, it can kill within hours when untreated.
Image: Reuters/K. Abdullah
Unsuspecting victims of the'war on terror'
In Yemen, violence goes beyond civil conflict: It is considered a strategic front in the war on terrorism. The country serves as the operational base for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, dubbed the "most dangerous" terrorist group before the rise of the "Islamic State." The US routinely uses drones to target al-Qaida leadership. However, civilians have often been killed in the operations.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Arhab
Children's fate: Future marred by tragedy
In a country paralyzed by conflict, children are one of the most at-risk groups in Yemen. More than 12 million children require humanitarian aid, according to the UN humanitarian coordination agency. The country's education system is "on the brink of collapse," while children are dying of "preventable causes like malnutrition, diarrhea and respiratory tract infections," according to the agency.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Mohammed
Peace: An elusive future
Despite several attempts at UN-backed peace talks, the conflict continues to rage on. Saudi Arabia has vowed to continue supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. On the other hand, Houthi rebels have demanded the formation of a unity government in order to move forward on a political solution. A peace deal, however, remains elusive.
