Iranian foreign minister: “Pursuing new regional security without foreign military intervention ... in talks with Saudi Arabia”

[Financial News] As armed clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s pro-Iran Houthi rebels intensify, Iran says it is continuing talks with Saudi Arabia with the aim of establishing a new regional security framework that excludes foreign interference.
On the 3rd (local time), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera, released via social media platform X (formerly Twitter), “We have no hostility whatsoever toward Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,” adding, “We appreciate the positive role played by Qatar and Oman, and are continuing our dialogue with Saudi Arabia.”
Araghchi went on to stress, “Our ultimate goal is to achieve a new regional security framework led solely by countries in the region, without any foreign military intervention.”
Delegations from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan, signatories to the collective security arrangement known as the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement,” visited Tehran late last month and held high-level talks with Iranian officials. This was the first high-level contact between the two sides since August. Saudi officials said at the time that the aim was to open a channel for negotiations to prevent a renewed escalation of military tensions and promote stability.
The war between the United States, Israel and Iran, which began late last February, has spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen since last July, making the situation in the Middle East even more precarious. In particular, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have advanced toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and sharply escalated their offensive against Saudi Arabia.
The Houthi rebels attacked the international airport in the capital, Riyadh, as well as key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, disrupting air travel and oil exports. Saudi Arabia retaliated with airstrikes in Yemen, and the fighting intensified. Yemen has been mired in a protracted civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels drove the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government out of Sanaa.
Araghchi added that the recent four-country talks “focused on cooperation among regional powers to address political, security and economic challenges,” and that the parties had agreed to continue consultations at various levels.


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