Iran’s foreign minister holds talks with Yemeni rebel leader in Oman

By Mohammed Samei

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abollahian held talks with chief Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdul-Salam in the Omani capital, Muscat.

Talks between the two sides covered the latest developments in war-torn Yemen, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said the meeting was held at the Iranian Embassy in Muscat late Tuesday. It, however, did not provide any details about the content of the talks.

Iran is a main backer of Yemen’s Houthi group, which overran much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Amir-Abollahian is currently visiting Oman as part of a Gulf tour that already took him to Qatar where he held talks with Qatari officials.

Yemen has begun to witness a state of de-escalation in recent months after nine years of fighting amid efforts by the UN to settle the conflict.

This comes amid a thaw in relations between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, a main backer of the Yemeni government against Houthi rebels.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara