Yemeni Army Monitoring 250 Iranian Experts in the Country

Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)
TT
20

Yemeni Army Monitoring 250 Iranian Experts in the Country

Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)
Houthi militants in Yemen. (Reuters)

The Yemeni army revealed that more than 250 Iranian experts were monitored in the country over the past few days.

They were present in several regions of the al-Hodeidah and Saada provinces and were active in military operations and training, added the army.

Military spokesman Abdo Abdullah Majali told Asharq Al-Awsat that the experts were monitored through ongoing state intelligence surveillance.

He revealed that the experts were developing rockets and fixing their spare parts, which are advanced jobs that are beyond the expertise of the militias.

Intelligence agencies were alerted to the Iranian presence in the region after noticing the development of the militias’ military capabilities, he explained.

Furthermore, Houthi prisoners revealed the presence of the Iranians during investigations with them. They also confirmed that they were active in training camps and in developing weapons.

Majali stated that the national Yemeni army has several options in which to confront the Iranian experts, but he refused to disclose them.

He did reveal however that they are primarily related to the military’s advance with the backing of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen.

He stressed that the army will immediately arrest the Iranians in order to carry out investigations with them according to Yemeni laws. They will be tried for all the actions they did in sparking the war and destroying Yemen.

They entered Yemen through illegal means and they will not be able to escape without being held accountable, he vowed.



China Backs Iran’s Nuclear Talks with US, Opposes ‘Illegal’ Sanctions

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Türkiye, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Türkiye, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)
TT
20

China Backs Iran’s Nuclear Talks with US, Opposes ‘Illegal’ Sanctions

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Türkiye, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi poses as he meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (not seen) in Ankara, Türkiye, July 26, 2023. (Reuters)

China supports Iran holding talks on its nuclear program with the United States and opposes the use of force and "illegal" unilateral sanctions to try to resolve the issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday.

Beijing is willing to deepen coordination and cooperation with Tehran on international and regional affairs, Wang told Iran's Abbas Araqchi during talks in the Chinese capital, according to a ministry statement.

"The Chinese side commends Iran's promise not to develop nuclear weapons and respects Iran's right to utilize nuclear energy peacefully," Wang said.

The meeting came ahead of further US-Iran nuclear talks this Saturday and after Washington imposed sanctions on some Chinese refiners for buying Iranian oil in recent weeks.

The Iranian foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Araqchi had informed his Chinese counterpart of the latest situation of the "indirect talks between Iran and the US" and thanked China for its productive stance on Iran's nuclear program and the lifting of sanctions.

US President Donald Trump has sought to pursue a "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran, including driving Iranian oil exports to zero.

In 2015, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions in a deal with the US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. But in 2018 Trump, a year into his first term, pulled out of the pact.

Tehran and Washington started negotiations again earlier this month with the aim of placing limits on Tehran's nuclear program.

China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, has backed Tehran as US pressure mounts.

The US has so far sanctioned two China-based small independent "teapot" refiners for purchasing Iranian crude.

Last month Chinese imports of Iranian oil surged to an all-time high as buyers stocked up amid worries that further US sanctions on Tehran could tighten supplies.

China buys some 90% of Iran's oil exports, traders and analysts have said. The two countries have built a trading system that uses mostly Chinese yuan and a network of middlemen, avoiding the dollar and exposure to US regulators.

Wang and Araqchi also discussed US tariffs during Wednesday's meeting.

"The US's abuse of tariffs has completely lost popularity and isolated itself from the international community," Wang said.

"The international community needs to stand united more than ever to uphold multilateralism and safeguard the basic norms governing international relations," he told Araqchi.