The Saudi-led coalition fighting to restore the U.N.-backed government in Yemen and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels are working on a peace deal that would bring toward a close the years-long fighting in the country, according to a report in Reuters, which cited three sources.
According to the Reuters report, talks between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis are “focused on steps to lift a blockade on Houthi-held ports and Sanaa airport in return for a promise from the Iran-aligned group for truce talks,” the sources said. “Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi made a commitment to an Omani delegation that visited Sanaa this month to enter into ceasefire discussions immediately after the blockade is lifted in line with the latest proposal from U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths,” according to the sources.
A breakthrough in the conflict would be welcomed by the Biden administration, which has emphasized the need to bring to an end the conflict in the war-torn country. The Biden administration’s envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, has traveled frequently to the region and to Saudi Arabia in recent months to continue momentum in talks between the warring sides.
The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March 2015 after the Houthis ousted the internationally recognized Hadi-led government from the capital, Sanaa. Since then, fighting has often been brutal, and the conflict has spilled over Saudi borders with frequent drone strike attempts from the Iran-backed Houthis.
One of the sources told Reuters that Riyadh was open to a deal but “would need some additional guarantees from Oman and Iran”, both with close ties with the Houthis.
