“We heard fine words from them, and we replied with fine words. That is enough.” This was how the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish responded to friends who reminded him of his favorable response to an Iranian invitation. (Asharq Al-Awsat, August 9, 2023). Could Darwish’s answer also serve as a response to Iran’s offer to mediate between the Houthi militia and the leadership of the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen?
What a “fine” offer indeed...!
Before addressing the mediation proposal from this “highly influential and widely accepted mediator,” it is worth highlighting the remarkable role played by Yemeni women who have recently come to the forefront of the country’s political scene.
Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba stands confidently in Baghdad near her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, responding firmly to the “talk” of mediation. A second minister, Ishraq al-Maqtari, courageously visits the front lines in Taiz. Then, together with their colleague Ahd Jaasous, they stand firm in the face of missile and drone attacks by the militias targeting a meeting of the prime minister and members of the government at Maashiq Palace on Thursday, October 15, 2026. Other women are on the ground monitoring developments, while still others donate their jewelry and money to support the front lines. May they be blessed.
While Yemeni women send out messages under the slogan #Life_For_Yemen, the Houthis practice repression in Sanaa and spread messages of death and despair, extinguishing hope in a homeland spacious enough for everyone.
So who is more worthy of representing Yemen? Those who nurture life, or those who take it away? Those who offer hope, or those who destroy it? Those who sow illusions, or those who dispel them?
The answer is yours.
As for the response to the mediation offer, one can only hope there are some “fine words” for that as well...!
But what “fine words” can there be when this influential mediator reduces the Republic of Yemen to the Houthi group, known as Ansar Allah, which the UN Security Council described as a “terrorist group” in Resolution 2624 in early 2022, following attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates?
Remaining in control on the ground by force may be a fact, but it does not erase legitimate rights.
It seems that Iran’s proposal has fallen into contradiction with the very principles that Abbas Araghchi sets out in his book The Power of Negotiation. He stresses the importance of “distinguishing between what is negotiable and what is non-negotiable, the gray areas and the red lines”; “properly understanding the other side’s red lines”; and “appropriately reshaping the image of the parties involved.”
These basic principles of “distinction,” “understanding,” and “reshaping perceptions” appear to be largely absent from the proposal.
The proposal also overlooks the fact that successful mediation and negotiations cannot be guaranteed by parties seeking to impose their will on the fate of those who declare:
“Rule imposed by force is reactionary, and we shall resist it,
regardless of the garb the rulers may wear.”
The mediation proposal has crossed certain “red lines,” including the reddest of them all.
Iran can perhaps be “excused” for clinging to the last remaining cards and capitals of its regional influence, recognizing the Houthis and presenting them as representatives of the Republic of Yemen, armed with their raised daggers and their slogans, while claiming the authority to issue certificates of patriotism and denying the existence of Yemenis other than themselves.
By contrast, Yemenis and those concerned with Yemen see the Houthis simply as armed rebels who staged a coup, overstepped their bounds, and continued to push beyond all limits. History is full of lessons about the fate of those who overreach: “At the height of overreach, the overstepper is cut down to size.”
The finest words will be spoken when we see the influential Iranian mediator build a bridge, first for itself and then for the Houthis, away from illusions and misconceptions and toward recognition of one self-evident truth:
A militia does not represent Yemen. Nations cannot be reduced to militias.
We hope Iran will pursue peace so that stability can prevail across the region and these wars, which have exhausted the region and worn down its people, can finally come to an end.
