The conflict in Yemen has been described as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” As many as 233,000 people have been killed in the ongoing civil war, including over 12,000 innocent civilians that were caught in the crossfire. With Iran and Saudi Arabia playing a major role in perpetuating the conflict and intelligence assessments indicating Iranian involvement in supplying weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the international community looked to Iran to take a more conciliatory stance in order to bring an end to the violence. On April 10 2021, Iran finally agreed to take a step in the right direction by suspending and preventing the arms sale to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Background on the Yemen Conflict
Before entering into the details of the agreement, it is important to understand the circumstances surrounding the conflict in Yemen. A civil war has raged on in the nation since March 2015, pitting the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran and particularly the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, against the Yemeni government. This conflict has become increasingly complex and dangerous, with other powers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates becoming involved in the fight. The result has been an unending cycle of violence and conflict with thousands of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
The Role of Iran and UN Efforts
As part of the United Nations Security Council’s attempt to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen, the international community has placed immense pressure on Iran to stop providing arms to the Houthi rebels. The worry amongst the international community is that Iran’s provision of arms to the rebels will only encourage violence in the region.
The U.S. also recently imposed entry restrictions and sanctions on six individuals, including a member of the IRGC, for their involvement in providing arms to Houthis back in March 2021. The U.S. has long linked Iran to military equipment used by the Houthis, citing examples of arms shipments intercepted at sea or evidence of Iranian-made arms found on the battlefield.
Iran Agrees To Stop Arming Houthis
On April 10th 2021, Iran finally agreed to comply with UN resolutions by suspending and preventing its sale of arms to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
In a joint statement delivered by the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, and Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht Ravanchi, it was said that Iran commits to comply with UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015). The resolution calls for all parties to refrain from conducting weapons into Yemen that would exacerbate the conflict and promotes peaceful solutions to the conflict.
The statement also included Iran’s commitment to take further concrete steps in order to “address the issues of ballistic missiles and other weapons of the Houthis.” Iran also agreed to support a ceasefire by both sides in the conflict and to facilitate the flow of food and medicine into Yemen.
Reactions to the Agreement
The agreement was met with a holding of breath by many in the international community. Many considered that this was just the first step in the right direction and that more needed to be done to ensure that the conflict in Yemen finally comes to an end.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the news as a “significant step towards the full implementation of resolution 2216 (2015)” and called for all parties in Yemen to take similar measures to ensure the resolution is adhered to in full.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also welcomed Iran’s move and called on other countries to work together to implement the resolution.
The agreement between Iran and the United Nations is an encouraging first step in the long journey towards bringing peace to Yemen. The international community is now looking to the other parties involved in the conflict to take similar steps in ensuring the resolution is implemented in full. It is now up to all involved in the conflict to commit to finding a peaceful solution that takes into consideration the lives of millions of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
