TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei accused Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of seeking to divide Yemen as well as committing major crimes there and called for confronting the "conspiracy" vigorously during a meeting with a Houthi delegation in Tehran on Tuesday.

"The Saudis, the Emiratis and their mother-in-law have committed a major crime in Yemen, and they certainly will not achieve their aims," ​​Khamenei said. "They are seeking to divide Yemen so that we must stand firm against this conspiracy and provide support to a united and fully sovereign Yemen.

"To preserve the unity of Yemen, given the religious beliefs and the various communities in this country, needs a Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue," he said.

Houthi spokesman Mohammad Abdul Salam, who heads the group's delegation, thanked Iran for its assistance and praised the leader's positions.

The Houthi delegation arrived a few days ago in Iran, where Abdul Salam conveyed a message from the group's leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi to Khamenei. He also met earlier with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who said that resolving the Yemeni crisis is political through internal dialogue.

It is noteworthy that the forces of the Southern Transitional Council supported by the United Arab Emirates on Saturday took control of most of the positions and camps of the presidential guard loyal to the legitimate Yemeni government in the interim capital Aden.