Yemen Monitor/ Exclusive Report:
Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi held bilateral talks today, Thursday, with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Majid Takht Ravanchi, who is visiting Muscat. The meeting comes at a time of growing concerns over the widening scope of regional tension due to escalation in several regional issues.
The Omani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two sides discussed the existing relations between the two countries, stemming from a shared commitment to developing areas of cooperation and partnership, and expanding the horizons of mutual interests and benefits to serve the people of the two friendly nations.
The discussion also touched upon regional and international developments. Both sides stressed the importance of continued coordination and consultation between them on various current issues, and support for efforts aimed at resolving conflicts through dialogue and peaceful means, which contributes to solidifying security and stability and enhancing opportunities for achieving just and comprehensive peace in the region.
These talks come against a tense regional backdrop, one day after the resumption of meetings between the chief negotiator of the Houthi group and the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in the Omani capital, Muscat, following a hiatus of about six months.
The group’s chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Salam, had announced in a post on the ‘X’ platform that he discussed with the UN Envoy “the roadmap delivered to the United Nations and agreed upon with the Saudi side under the patronage of the Sultanate of Oman,” noting the need to resume the implementation of its provisions, particularly the humanitarian component, and to avoid procrastination.
These moves coincided with a rising tone of threat from the Iran-backed Houthis, with officials in the group hinting at the possibility of resuming military operations against Saudi Arabia, while the group continues its demand for a political settlement that grants it broader influence within the legitimate state institutions.
The head of the internationally unrecognized Houthi government in Sana’a, Mohammed Miftah, said: “We say to those who take measures to restrict our people’s livelihoods, the equation of ‘bank for bank, airport for airport, and port for port’ has not fallen,” in a direct threat to re-escalate military and economic action.
Yemen Monitor had previously revealed intensive negotiations between the Houthi group and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, sponsored by Oman, in an attempt to spare the region a new wave of military escalation, amid fears that the situation could slide towards a broader regional confrontation if the current diplomatic efforts fail.
