Masoud Pezeshkian denies Iran links to Yemen, calls for diplomacy
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is pushing back against claims that Iran is fueling the Yemen war or backing Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.
In a chat with Al Jazeera, he insisted, "What is happening in Yemen is not linked to Iran," and called for more diplomacy instead of fighting.
He also accused the US and Israel of stirring up trouble in the Gulf to control its resources.
Yemen war and Iranian military warnings
The conflict has re-escalated in recent weeks (September 2026), when Houthi fighters seized Mocha between September 10-11, 2026.
Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes in response in 2026, turning it into a long-running crisis with huge humanitarian costs.
Iran keeps getting blamed for supporting the Houthis, though they deny any direct role.
Meanwhile, tensions are heating up elsewhere: after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz waterway, Iranian military officials warned that all US deployment centers and interests in the region will become targets if Washington "makes a mistake" against the country.