Yemen PM Stresses Need to End Iranian Meddling

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
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Yemen PM Stresses Need to End Iranian Meddling

Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP
Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher attends a conference to raise funds for Yemen on April 25, 2017 at the United Nations office in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Dagher has called for halting Iranian meddling in his country and ending the Houthi coup against legitimacy whether through a peace deal or a military solution.

According to Saba Net, bin Dagher said during a meeting on Thursday with the British ambassador to Yemen, Michael Aron, that the Yemeni government and people highly appreciate British efforts to achieve security and stability in Yemen.

He also praised UK’s support for the legitimate Yemeni government.

The prime minister briefed the newly-appointed diplomat on the situation in Yemen and UN and international efforts to solve the war politically.

Bin Dagher and Aron jointly stressed the importance of making the new UN envoy's mission successful.

The Yemeni prime minister stated that the legitimate government will deal constructively with UN initiatives for new consultations, provided that the militia proves its intention to solve the country’s crisis rather than trying to waste time.

Bin Dagher said: “The Arab Coalition’s intervention came in response to a call made by the legitimate Yemeni President after the Houthi militia took over several provinces, reaching Aden, Taiz and Marib.”

The Houthis “took up weapons against the State, cracked down on citizens and posed an existential threat to Yemen and its Arab neighbors and threatened international navigation ... to carry out Iran's agenda and plan in the region with the aim of blackmailing the international community,” he added.

The meeting also addressed the government's ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and normalize the situation in government-held areas.

For his part, the British ambassador reiterated support for Yemen’s unity, security and stability, and rejection of Iranian interference in the country’s affairs.



Greece Blocks Asylum Claims for Migrants on Crete after Surge in Arrivals

Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
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Greece Blocks Asylum Claims for Migrants on Crete after Surge in Arrivals

Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS
Migrants get off a bus at the port of Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 08 July 2025. EPA/NIKOS CHALKIADAKIS

Greece's government said Wednesday it is temporarily suspending asylum applications for migrants arriving on the island of Crete, following a spike in arrivals from Libya.

More than 2,000 migrants have landed on the island since the weekend, according to coast guard figures, bringing the total number of arrivals this year to over 10,000.

Speaking in parliament, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the government also planned to build a detention site on Crete for migrants and was seeking direct collaboration between the Libya and Greek coast guards to turn back boats leaving the North African country.

“This emergency situation clearly demands emergency measures,” Mitsotakis told parliament Wednesday. “The Greek government has decided to inform the European Commission that ... it will suspend the processing of asylum applications — for an initial period of three months — for those arriving by sea from North Africa.”

According to The Associated Press, the suspension will apply only to migrants reaching Crete by sea. Migrants entering illegally will be detained, Mitsotakis said. “The Greek government is sending a firm message: the route to Greece is closing, and that message is directed at all human traffickers,” he said.

Overnight, a fishing trawler carrying 520 migrants from Libya was intercepted south of Crete. A bulk carrier that took all of the migrants onboard was rerouted to the port of Lavrio, near Athens, so that the migrants could be detained on a mainland facility, authorities said.