TUNIS, November 5. /TASS/. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejected European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ claims that Tehran was interfering in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, according to a statement by the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry.
According to the statement, Baghaei "strongly rejected claims about the presence of Iranian military advisers in Yemen." The diplomat said such reports were being circulated to "conceal facts and divert public attention." He added that the Yemeni people had "the necessary capabilities, experience, courage and will to defend their sovereignty and human dignity" and did not need anyone’s interference. In Baghaei’s assessment, the European Union, by participating in sanctions and the economic blockade of Yemen, "is itself complicit in gross human rights violations" in the country.
The armed confrontation between government forces and Houthi rebels has been continuing in Yemen since August 2014. The situation deteriorated dramatically this summer. In early August 2026, Ansar Allah launched an offensive in the country’s southwest and took control of the port city of Mokha and territories along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in western Yemen on September 10-11. Government forces mounted several counterattacks near the strait in the following days. On October 5, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi announced the launch of a large-scale operation, Dawn of Yemen, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, to liberate the capital city from the rebels.