Aden (South24 Center)

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Tehran on Sunday (December 28) held simultaneous diplomatic contacts with both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Houthi group, addressing developments in South Yemen. 

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Foreign Minister Sayyid Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, during which they discussed bilateral relations, alongside regional and international developments. 

According to the statement, "Minister Araghchi referred to the developments in South Yemen, emphasizing the necessity of the unity and territorial integrity of Yemen, and the importance of implementing the agreed-upon action plan [the roadmap]." 

For his part, the Saudi Foreign Minister stressed the importance of continued consultation and cooperation among the region's countries to maintain security and stability, in light of what the statement described as escalating regional tensions.

In a related context, the Saba News Agency in Sanaa reported that Araghchi held a telephone call with the Houthi acting Foreign Minister, Abdulwahid Abu Ras, during which they exchanged views on the developments of the Yemeni scene, including the situation in the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra.

According to the agency, the Houthi official outlined what he described as recent developments in South Yemen, warning of “measures backed by hostile parties,” while Araghchi emphasized, according to the same source, the necessity of maintaining Yemen's unity.

These contacts came amid an escalation in the Houthi rhetoric, as the group's leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech on Sunday that any Israeli presence in the Somaliland region would constitute a “military target,” claiming it posed a threat to the security of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

At the international level, China on Monday (December 29) called on all Yemeni parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that it is following the developments in South Yemen and urged the concerned parties to avoid escalation and work toward restoring stability.

The "Promising Future" operation, launched in early December by the Southern forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council in Hadramout and Al-Mahra, has sparked a series of internal and external reactions.

These include Saudi rejection of the deployment of Southern Forces in the two governorates, and the resulting security, military, and political tension.