It is not as if the international community is oblivious to the negative and destructive role being played by Iran and its proxies in Yemen. And yet, it seems that the Arab countries have to put their money where their mouths are to draw the attention of the world to the consequences of leaving Iran unchecked. Things took a different turn when Saudi Arabia changed its posture in the face of rising challenges and Iran’s subversive tactics in the region. As a result of the Saudi Arabia-led sustained three-week long military and diplomatic campaign to check Iran’s allies in Yemen, the international community finally has come to the realization that it should help rein in Iran’s proxies.
The Arab Gulf countries helped draft UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which called for imposition of arms embargo on Iranian-backed Houthis. If anything, the resolution bans the sale of weapons to the Houthi group as well as to a former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has been accused of sabotaging the political process in Yemen. The resolution was passed and were it not for Russia, the resolution would have been passed unanimously.
Of course, Iran is the explicit loser after the UNSC passed it resolution. Its attempt to buy time did not work this time. For sure, Iran is widely seen as part of the problem and therefore the international community ignored Iran’s tricky ideas for a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen. While the problem is not in the idea of peaceful resolution of the conflict per se, Iran and its proxies are hardly trustworthy. They only floated the idea of an immediate cease-fire after they suffered military setbacks at all fronts in Yemen. The resolution does not call for a cease-fire as Iran has suggested and this is very important. In fact, the Houthis and Iran talked about peaceful settlement for the first time only after the Arab coalition has inflicted a sever blow to them in Yemen. A cease-fire would only mean that the Houthis will regroup again and that Iran will find ways of providing them with necessary weapons to consolidate whatever gains left in their hands. For this reason, the Gulf countries opposed Russia’s desire to include a cease-fire in the provisions of the resolution.
Many pundits would argue that Iran is surprised by the decisiveness on the part of the Arab countries. Tehran has sought to exploit the weakened Arab world in the wake of the Arab Spring to have a foothold everywhere possible. For Iranians, the tumultuous environment in the region offers their country the opportunity to expand. Obviously, Iranian politicians do not really care about the Yemeni people. Their interference in Yemen fits neatly in Tehran’s strategy to also transform Yemen into a sphere of influence as it did in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. But the Saudi military and diplomatic success has left Iranian leaders stunned.
Among other things, the Security Council resolution blacklists the son of Ali Abdullah Saleh as well as some top Houthi leaders; chief among them is Abdel Malek Al-Houthi.
Former President Saleh has undermined the political process that would have otherwise generated a different and more inclusive political game. Since the eruption of the current wave of violence, forces loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh have been fighting alongside the Houthis. Thanks to the decisiveness of the Gulf countries that Ali Abdullah Saleh understands that there is a huge price tag for his subversive role in Yemen. Rather than trying to mitigate the unfolding crisis, Ali Abdullah Saleh aggravated it for his own political ends. The lesson that the Arab regimes should internalize is that diplomatic successes come only after they possess the power and they convey to their friends and foes that they are willing to use power if necessary.
