Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an exclusive interview with India Today on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi that the Houthis have “their own issues”, arguing that the group’s actions should not be seen as evidence of a direct Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict.
Pezeshkian said Tehran is not at war with Saudi Arabia and sought to distance Iran from recent Houthi attacks on the kingdom, even as the regional security situation deteriorates amid the wider US-Iran conflict.
He also called for countries across the region to establish a common framework for peace and security, saying there was no reason for regional states to remain in conflict with one another, India Today reported.
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In the interview, Pezeshkian proposed cooperation between Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and other countries on regional security, while saying individual countries could retain their identities and national interests.
He said Tehran had no fundamental problems with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or other neighbouring countries and wanted sincere relations across the region. He described them as neighbours with long-standing social and commercial ties.
His comments came as Saudi Arabia faces an escalating threat from the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen.
Houthi forces launched coordinated attacks on several Saudi cities and energy facilities on September 8, leaving 73 people wounded and disrupting operations at some energy facilities. The attacks targeted areas including Abha, Najran, Jazan and Khamis Mushait. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Saudi Aramco installations and an air base were among the targets, Reuters reported.
Further Houthi attacks have continued. Saudi authorities said on Sunday that a projectile struck the Jazan region, wounding two people and damaging a mosque, while the Houthis said they had targeted a Saudi military base.
Despite the escalation, Iran and Saudi Arabia have maintained diplomatic contact. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan reportedly spoke by phone on September 10 about the deteriorating regional security situation. The two countries stressed diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from spreading and restore regional stability.
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Pezeshkian’s call for a regional security framework comes as the two countries continue that diplomatic engagement.
The Saudi-Houthi confrontation is unfolding alongside the wider conflict between Iran and the United States. The possibility of disruptions around both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has raised concerns over global energy supplies and commercial shipping.
Pezeshkian’s remarks seek to separate Iran’s relationship with Saudi Arabia from the Houthis’ military confrontation with Riyadh. His proposal for Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and other countries to cooperate on security and economic issues points to Tehran’s push for a broader regional framework at a time of heightened tensions across the M