NEW YORK, December 30. /TASS/. The escalation of tensions between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia over the situation in Yemen poses a new challenge for American diplomacy, The Wall Street Journal said.

"The rift presents a diplomatic challenge for the U.S. and is an unwelcome complication as Washington works to keep Iran contained and persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear program," the paper said.

The confrontation between the two Gulf states, the WSJ notes, could lead to an expansion of hostilities in a region already gripped by conflict.

On December 9, chairman of the Southern Transitional Council loyal to the UAE Aidarous al-Zoubaidi established control over the eastern provinces of Hadramaut and Al-Mahrah. He promised to create institutions of the future state in the south of Yemen at the next stage. On Thursday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry assessed the actions of the separatists an unjustified escalation and called on the United Nations to withdraw forces from these regions. On the evening of December 27, a government source told the SABA news agency that head of Yemen's Presidential Governing Council Rashad Mohammed al-Alimi had requested military assistance from the Saudi-led coalition.

On Tuesday night, the Arab coalition carried out an airstrike on the port of Mukalla in Hadramaut. According to al-Maliki, the operation was limited and was directed "against weapons and military equipment unloaded from two ships" that were traveling from the UAE. Later al-Alimi signed a decree canceling the joint defense agreement with the UAE, demanding the withdrawal of Emirati forces from the republic within 24 hours. He also imposed a state of emergency for 90 days. The Saudi Foreign Ministry accused the UAE of supporting the insurgency in eastern Yemen, calling it a threat to its national security.