Saudi FM holds talks with US’ Blinken, EU’s Borrell over Iran, Yemen

Prince Faisal and Blinken met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and discussed “the importance of stopping Yemen’s Houthi attacks on civil and economic facilities, and their threat to international navigation”, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Moreover, the Saudi and EU officials discussed “ways to enhance joint efforts to stop Houthi violations in Yemen that are obstructing a political solution in the country”.

They also discussed the latest regional and international developments, and efforts to strengthen international peace and security.

Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a war against the Arab world’s most impoverished nation in March 2015. The war has been seeking to restore power in Yemen to Riyadh’s favorite officials.

The war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases there.

The UN’s Development Programme reported last year the death toll of the war, now in its seventh year, will reach an estimated 377,000 by the end of 2021.

The fighting has seen some 80 percent of the population, or 24 million people, relying on aid and assistance, including 14.3 million who are in acute need.

Despite Saudi Arabia’s incessant bombardment of the impoverished country, the Yemeni forces have gradually grown stronger, leaving Riyadh and its allies, most notably the United Arab Emirates, bogged down in the country.

Prince Faisal has also discussed the Iran’s nuclear program and ongoing negotiations in the Austria’s capital with Blinken and Borrell.

The Vienna talks, which involve Iran as well as Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly, and the United States indirectly, resumed in late November with the aim of restoring the 2015 landmark agreement.

Western diplomats say they are now in the final phase of the talks and believe that a deal is within reach.

Iran has stressed the ball is in the court of the United States, and that Washington must remove the anti-Tehran sanctions.