Iran has denied Saudi Arabia’s accusation that it encouraged Yemen’s Houthi rebels to intensify attacks on the kingdom, offering to mediate between the two sides amid rising regional tensions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Friday that Tehran had no role in the Houthi operations, adding that the group acted according to its own interests and assessments.
He said Iran remained willing to use its diplomatic channels to help end the hostilities.
Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for public diplomacy, Rayed Krimly, had accused Iran of encouraging the escalation and said the Houthis rejected an offer to meet in Oman.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted three drones, two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and a ballistic missile heading towards Yanbu, a major Saudi oil hub.
The escalation has also spread across Yemen. Two missiles struck the perimeter of Aden International Airport on Friday, with no casualties reported. Yemeni authorities said a passenger plane preparing to depart for Cairo narrowly escaped being hit.
The strike came a day after a Houthi missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden reportedly killed five people and injured 16 others.
The renewed fighting has intensified pressure on Saudi Arabia, a major global oil exporter, as attacks threaten key infrastructure and shipping routes.
