How is Iran responding to Biden’s policy shift on Yemen?
March 9, 2021 Share
On Feb. 4, President Joe Biden announced the end of U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s offensive military operations in Yemen. This decision fuelled optimism about a U.S. return to negotiations over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. Instead of engaging with the United States, Iran has supported the Houthi-orchestrated Marib offensive and stepped up its diplomatic efforts in Yemen. These actions reflect Iran’s skepticism about U.S. intentions in Yemen and a desire to be recognized as an indispensable stakeholder in the country’s political future.
Clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels have intensified in the strategic province of Marib, with military sources saying a senior loyalist commander was among dozens of fighters killed.
Earlier this month, the Iran-backed Houthis resumed a push to capture Marib city, which lies close to some of Yemen’s richest oil fields in the north of the country.
Hundreds of fighters from both sides have been killed in fighting since Friday, according to government sources. The Houthis do not usually release casualty tolls.
“Twenty-two members of the government forces and more than 28 rebels have died in the last 24 hours in the fighting,” including special forces commander in Marib, General Abdel Ghani Shaalan, a military source told AFP news agency.