Iran Offers Saudi Arabia Talks With Houthis Amid Escalation

Iran has offered to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement as attacks and regional tensions intensify. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi raised diplomatic efforts during a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry, while Riyadh confirmed the conversation without announcing an agreement to begin negotiations. The diplomatic initiative follows deadly attacks in Saudi Arabia and a reported airstrike on the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa, Yemen's capital.

Iran has expressed concern about the escalation, but Saudi Arabia has not publicly accepted Tehran's proposed mediation or outlined a framework for talks. According to Iran's Foreign Ministry, the two ministers discussed regional developments and efforts to find a political solution during a call held the previous night. Araghchi warned that continued military action and the neglect of diplomatic channels could make the crisis more difficult to resolve.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described Tehran's position as a warning about the broader regional consequences of the confrontation.

"Deeply concerned about developments in the Arabian Peninsula" and believing the escalation "will only benefit the Israeli regime," said Esmaeil Baghaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson. The wording of Iran's published statement left some ambiguity about the proposed initiative. Its Persian version referred to dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, while Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that Tehran was offering to facilitate talks specifically between Riyadh and the Houthis.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Araghchi and bin Farhan had spoken by phone. According to the ministry, their discussion covered the recent regional escalation and ongoing efforts to address it. Riyadh did not disclose further details about those efforts, confirm acceptance of Iran's offer, or announce an agreement to launch direct negotiations with the Houthis. No date or specific framework for potential talks has been made public.

Reuters reported that the call was the first publicly announced communication between the two foreign ministers since the Houthis intensified their attacks against Saudi Arabia. The contact comes as Riyadh faces renewed security pressure from the Iran-backed movement. Reports about the attacks contained differing casualty figures.

An Al Jazeera report published on October 12 said an attack on Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport killed one person and wounded 11 others, while Houthi-affiliated media reported an airstrike on the rebel-held airport in Sanaa hours earlier. A separate report published by i24NEWS on October 12 cited an earlier Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, saying 13 people were killed and more than 300 injured. The report described the incident as Saudi Arabia's deadliest attack inside the country in more than a decade.

The available statements did not establish whether the reported incidents referred to separate attacks or reflected conflicting accounts of the same events. Saudi Arabia has not announced a formal negotiating process with the Houthis, leaving the status of Iran's proposed diplomatic initiative unconfirmed.