Both US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking and Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani on Thursday accused Iran of continuing to support the Houthi movement by supplying weapons and drugs that fuel the conflict in Yemen, despite its agreement with Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic relations.
Speaking to reporters in an online briefing about his latest visit to the region, Lenderking said Iran continued to supply weapons and drugs that help fuel the war, which broke out in 2014 and led to one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises.
"The Iranians continue to smuggle weapons and drugs in this conflict, and we're very concerned about this (activity) continuing despite the benefits that the Saudi-Iranian deal may have, so I think we have to monitor that," Lenderking said.
Iran denies arming the Houthis, who seized Yemen's capital Sanaa after the government was toppled and now control large parts of the country.
The conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia, which led a military coalition to support Yemen's legitimate government in 2015, and Iran.
The US envoy added that the Saudi-Iranian agreement alone is not enough to end the conflict, which can only be settled through negotiation between the Yemeni parties.
Drug shipment
In the same context, Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani said that the US Coast Guard announced the seizure of a shipment of narcotics on board a fishing ship coming from the Iranian port of Chabahar, 48 hours after the seizure of a similar shipment coming from the same port, which was on its way to Yemen.
On Wednesday, the US Central Command announced via Facebook that it had seized in the Gulf of Oman varieties of narcotics worth more than $ 30 million, from a fishing vessel passing through international waters coming from the Iranian port of Chabahar.
This "confirms the Tehran regime's continued support for the Houthi terrorist militia with arms and drug shipments in flagrant violation of international laws and conventions", al-Eryani said.
Regional and international efforts to achieve a comprehensive political solution to the crisis in Yemen have been ongoing for some time, including visits by Saudi and Omani delegations to Sana'a, and Gulf tours of US envoys Tim Lenderking and UN Hans Grundberg.
Hopes for peace have been mounting among Yemenis since Saudi Arabia and Iran, brokered by China, signed an agreement on March 10 to resume diplomatic relations, ending a seven-year rupture between the two countries.