Tehran publicly rejected any military resolution to the mounting conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement, as both sides traded airstrikes and claims of maritime blockade. In separate statements on Saturday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei insisted that the Yemen crisis and tensions in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait demand a negotiated outcome, not further fighting. The joint diplomatic push came after a week that saw Houthi forces claim attacks on Saudi oil tankers, declare a blockade of Saudi ports, and target an Aramco facility in Jazan, while Saudi warplanes struck Houthi positions in Marib and al-Jawf.

Viewed from Tehran, the renewed violence is a product of old disputes between Riyadh and Sanaa, not Iranian involvement. “We believe that there is no military solution to the issue of Yemen, Bab al-Mandab, and other regional issues,” Araghchi told the state-run Iran Daily, adding that the instability “cannot be attributed to Iran.” Baghaei went further, directly blaming what he called “provocative and interventionist U.S. policies” for complicating the situation, and called for the immediate lifting of what he described as a humanitarian blockade that restricts food, fuel and essential services to Yemenis. Both officials endorsed a return to an agreed UN roadmap for political settlement, with Baghaei pledging Iranian support for “any constructive initiative” toward dialogue.

The Houthi movement itself signalled a partial differentiation in its blockade strategy. A Houthi spokesman clarified on Friday that the group is not blocking all maritime traffic through Bab al-Mandeb, stating that the blockade “only affects the Saudi side.” Nonetheless, the combined effect of Houthi action in the Red Sea and Iran’s parallel restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz — part of a five-month-old direct conflict with the United States that has spread across multiple regional fronts — poses a severe threat to Saudi Arabia’s ability to export crude oil. Riyadh, which relies on both waterways, has not publicly responded to Tehran’s latest calls for dialogue, but has maintained a pattern of airstrikes against Houthi targets while its allies in Western capitals view the Houthi offensive as an Iranian-orchestrated pressure tactic.

The diplomatic flurry marks the first major Iranian mediation offer since the 2022 UN-brokered truce collapsed in the face of this month’s escalation. Regionally, the statements are being read as an attempt by Tehran to distance itself from the Houthi blockade’s economic consequences, while also positioning Iran as a political interlocutor. With the Saudi-Houthi front now merging dangerously with the wider Iran-U.S. confrontation — from the Persian Gulf to Jordan — the prospects for de-escalation hang on whether Riyadh or Washington accept a diplomatic track that leaves Houthi military gains in place. As of writing, no formal peace talks have been announced, but Iranian officials indicated that proposals based on the existing roadmap remain on the table.