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Iran displeased by deal between Yemeni government, southern separatists

Although Tehran has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, it also doesn’t want a Riyadh-led resolution to the war.
Representatives of Yemen's government and southern separatists sign a Saudi-brokered deal to end a power struggle in the southern port of Aden , as Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L), Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) and Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi (R) celebrate in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 5, 2019. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS  THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC18F22C1C90

Iran condemned Nov. 6 the Riyadh Agreement, which integrated the Southern Transitional Council into the Cabinet of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said the Riyadh Agreement would lead to the “occupation of southern Yemen” by Saudi Arabia, and “will by no means help settle the problems of Yemen.”

Iran’s strident opposition to the Riyadh Agreement can be explained by its apprehensions about the deal’s impact on the balances of forces in Yemen and concerns about escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia. Ali Ahmadi, a Tehran-based geopolitical analyst, told Al-Monitor that Iran views the Riyadh Agreement as “not a step toward peace” but a mere “reorganization of forces on one side of the conflict.” Although the Riyadh Agreement received praise from the international community for preventing a protracted civil war in southern Yemen, Iran views the restoration of unity within the Saudi-led coalition as a negative development. Ahmadi said Iran views the conflict in Yemen as an “illegal war of aggression caused by Saudi-Sunni sectarian expansionism,” and sees “friction among those forces as a positive step toward their eventual withdrawal.”

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