The Yemeni government is not optimistic, and the Houthis stipulate ... Iran presents its vision to end the war in Yemen and denies receiving an American message.

Iran has offered the UN envoy Martin Griffiths its vision to stop the war in Yemen, and denied that he brought it an offer in this regard, at a time when Washington confirmed that it would continue to pressure the Houthi leadership despite its retreat from designating them as a terrorist group.

In his first visit to Tehran, on Sunday and Monday, Griffiths discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif and other officials ways to end the war in Yemen, with the resumption of diplomatic efforts after the US President Joe Biden's administration announced that it had decided to stop its military support for the war waged by Saudi Arabia against The Houthis in Yemen.

On Monday, Griffiths said during a meeting with Zarif that the solution to the Yemeni crisis passes through a ceasefire, the start of a political dialogue, and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Esmeni Bala, a spokeswoman for the UN envoy, said earlier that the priorities that Griffiths is focusing on in Tehran are a comprehensive ceasefire in Yemen, urgent humanitarian measures, and the resumption of the political process.

For his part, Zarif confirmed his country's readiness to support any effective role of the United Nations to solve the crisis in Yemen.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied that Griffiths carried an American message that included an offer to stop Washington's support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen in exchange for stopping Tehran's support for the Houthis.

Iranian vision

In the context, an Iranian official told Al-Jazeera that the UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths emphasized the importance of an immediate cessation of the war in Yemen and an end to the blockade, in pushing for a political solution, considering that the current conditions are ripe to stop the war and launch peace negotiations.

He added that the Iranian side assured Griffiths during his talks in Tehran that the recognition of the Houthi government in Sanaa would accelerate the end of the crisis, and he also assured him that any initiative must begin with stopping the war in Yemen, declaring a truce and ending the naval and land blockade.

The Iranian official indicated that the second stage of any settlement requires the entry of aid, the removal of foreign forces from Yemen, and preparation for a comprehensive national dialogue.

He also said that Iranian officials told Griffiths that US statements to stop supporting the war waged by the coalition are insufficient, and that the Biden administration should take practical steps to stop the war in Yemen.

The Iranian official said that Tehran informed the UN envoy that the role of the United Nations in Yemen was weak in the face of massacres and the Saudi-led war, as he put it.

And in Washington, the US State Department spokesman said on Monday that his country will continue to pressure the Houthi leadership after Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told Congress that he intends to back down from the group's designation as a terrorist organization, a decision taken by the administration of former President Donald Trump in its last days last month.

Earlier, Blinken told CNN that his country wants to play a vital role in the diplomatic field to end the war in Yemen, which has been continuing since 2015, stressing that his country is about to end its military support to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen war, but it is Committed to the security of the Kingdom.

Wrong understanding

On his part, Yemeni government spokesman Rajeh Badi told Al-Jazeera that the Houthi group understood the US administration’s declaration of the necessity to end the war in Yemen by mistake, and launched an attack on the city of Ma'rib (east of Sanaa), which houses 1.8 million displaced Yemenis.

Badi added that the information received from Tehran regarding the results of the UN envoy's visit does not give rise to optimism.

On the other hand, a member of the Sanaa delegation to the Stockholm negotiations, Abdul Majeed Al-Hanash, said in an interview with Al-Jazeera that the UN envoy from the beginning had achieved nothing.

He called for lifting what he described as the siege, and for stopping the aggression to start negotiations, he said.