What Do Improved Relations Between Saudi Arabia and Iran Mean For Yemen?

Written By Nathan Matsko

Bellefonte-The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to engage in trade, as reported by Middle East Monitor.

The historic move came Tuesday as the two nations continued to follow the terms of the agreement which restored diplomacy between them. Goods have already begun moving from Iran into KSA.

Talks of friendly relations began nearly two years ago, with Syria and Iraq leading and encouraging the initiative. China became involved in the negotiations in early March of this year, and a joint statement signed by Beijing, Riyadh, and Tehran announced the agreement not long after.

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in January of 2016 after protests erupted in Iran following the Kingdom’s execution of a prominent Shia cleric. The rioting in Tehran led to extensive damage at the Saudi Embassy immediately following the execution.

As relations begin to normalize, questions regarding Yemen have begun to surface. Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war since 2014, which the UN estimates claimed the lives of nearly 400,000 people between its start and 2021. Additionally, the unrest has exacerbated a plurality of other dangers, including disease outbreaks and starvation.

The recognized government is supported by Saudi Arabia, while the Supreme Political Council-a government installed by Houthi rebels which is largely unrecognized as legitimate by most states- is allegedly supported by Iran.

Yet even as the war continues, Saudi Arabia has shown signs of a willingness to bring the conflict to an end. Recently, Saudi officials visited the Yemeni capital Sana’a to meet with the Supreme Political Council leadership. Though seen as unprecedented by some, the move is part of a pattern as KSA has begun to ease its policies towards Yemen.

Over the years, Saudi Arabia and its allies involved in the conflict have received condemnation for its aggressive actions in the country, with humanitarian and aid organizations claiming that multiple Saudi airstrikes and shellings have killed thousands of civilians and vital civilian infrastructure.

On the other side of the conflict, similar gestures of potential peace seem to be manifesting as well. A prisoner exchange between the Houthis and the recognized Yemeni government took place earlier this month. The swap was a welcome sign, though many of the prisoners reported abuse and torture at the hands of Houthi rebels. Unlike the Supreme Political Council, The Houthis themselves have shown an unwillingness to engage with Saudi Arabia, seeing them as instigators of continued conflict. Saudi Arabia reports that over 500 Saudi civilians have been killed in Houthi cross-border attacks.

Iranian officials praised the prisoner swap and insist on a more diplomatic means to end the conflict. With Saudi Arabia’s recent efforts in diplomacy, it seems the two former enemy nations are of like mind when it comes to Yemen’s civil war, though it will take time to determine whether the gestures of peace bear fruit.