Iran seeks regional support for its Yemen policy

By Umid Niayesh 

Seeking a backdoor political solution to the Yemen imbroglio Iran dispatched its foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Muscat, April 8.

Retaining its role as mediator between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Oman is the only Gulf country that did not participate in the Saudi Arabia-led coalition against Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen, known as Houthis. Oman also has close ties with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, the main actors behind the ongoing civil war in Yemen.

Oman and Iran, which share control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, maintain friendly relations. The country has mediated between Iran and the US on a number of cases in the past and can do the same for its two close neighbors.

Pakistan will be the second destination of the Iranian foreign minister’s regional tour. Islamabad, which has its own concerns on the issue, has already criticized Iran’s policy towards Yemen.

Pakistan is concerned about the effects of the Yemen civil war over in its northern war-torn neighbor Afghanistan, as well as inflaming possible unrest among its Shiite population.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on April 7 called on Iran to get involved in talks on security in Yemen as the country’s parliament debated whether Pakistan should join the Saudi-led operation. Meanwhile, Pakistani officials have said on numerous occasions that they can play a positive role in repairing Saudi Arabia-Iran relations.

Sharif, in his speech to the parliament, also tried to keep a balance between Iran and Saudi Arabia, yet he slightly criticized the Islamic Republic, by saying that Iran should join the discussion and evaluate whether its policy in Yemen is correct or not.

The Pakistani PM also said he will defend any threat to Saudi Arabia's "territorial integrity" without defining what threat that could be, or what action will be taken.

Sharif’s statements came out on the same day when the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Tehran despite severe protests by the Islamic Republic’s conservative officials, who are angry about Erdogan’s recent statements on Tehran’s regional policy.

Earlier in March, Erdogan accused the Islamic Republic of trying to monopolize the Middle East by seeking a Shia-dominated hegemony in neighbor countries.

During the Tehran meetings Iranian officials called for an end to the Saudi-led collation operations in Yemen which is undergoing since March 26 with full support from Turkey.

However, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani said after meeting with Erdogan that Tehran and Ankara share joint viewpoints about the ongoing crisis in Yemen.

“We both believe that a ceasefire should be established in Yemen as soon as possible and foreign countries should stop their attacks,” Rouhani said.

The Iranian president further said that Iran and Turkey with cooperation of other countries can help establishing peace, security and formation of an inclusive government in Yemen, a signal of accepting Turkish possible role as an intermediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

On the other hand, Rouhani’s special envoy Morteza Sarmadi, arrived in Beirut, on the fifth leg of his tour of regional counties on April 8.

It was officially announced that regional developments, Yemen, and Syria in particular are among the agenda of Sarmadi’s regional tour which already took him to Oman, Iraq, Tunisia and Algeria.

It seems that Iran’s diplomacy office, now relaxed from months of intensive nuclear talks with six world powers, is more focused on the regional issues.

While it is unlikely that the Islamic Republic’s ongoing diplomatic efforts would lead to any change in the stance of the regional countries - which have already took their position in the two opposing blocs - Tehran’s recent step should be considered as only a move for seeking legitimacy for its Yemen policy.

Right now its seems that Iran has no regional ally to rely on, regarding the Yemen issue, if we do not count Syria, which is already suffering from a civil war as well as militia Shiite groups in Lebanon and Iraq. Pakistan and Turkey stand by their own position, which is contrary to Iran’s. Oman also would not take any step against Saudi Arabia’s interests.

Tehran may count on its trans-regional allies Russia and China, but they are also far away now of taking decisive steps on the issue. So, the Islamic Republic has no other choice but to share influence in Yemen with its regional rivals, in particular Saudi Arabia, at least for a short period. In the middle of all this is Yemen - the country, which is forced to have other big regional powers to decide its fate.

/By Trend/