Baghaei Slams Rubio for Calling Houthi 'Iran's Proxy', Calls Group 'Independent Yemeni Actor'

Tehran: Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei on Thursday rejected accusations made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Yemen's Houthi operates as a proxy for Tehran, stating that the group acts independently and takes orders from no one.

In a post on X, Baghaei accused Washington of driving regional instability through its military presence and hegemonistic policies, emphasising that lasting peace in Yemen requires an end to external intervention.

"Marco Rubio’s lies cannot replace facts. Ansarallah is an independent Yemeni actor that makes its own decisions; it takes orders from no one and acts as nobody’s proxy," Baghaei said.

Directing criticism toward US policy in the Middle East, Baghaei urged Washington to withdraw its military involvement if it seeks genuine stability in the region.

"The roots of instability in the region lie in US military interventions and hegemonic policies. If Washington genuinely wanted peace, it would take one simple step: end its malign and destabilising interventions in our region," he stated.

Addressing the political path forward for Yemen, Baghaei stressed that peace cannot be achieved through force or outside pressure, calling for adherence to established diplomatic frameworks.

"Peace in Yemen cannot be imposed through bombs and external pressure. It begins with genuine negotiations based on the roadmap agreed by the parties," Baghaei added.

His remarks come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) implicated Iran in the latest wave of Houthi strikes targeting Saudi Arabia, labelling the Yemen-based rebel group as a proxy of Tehran as regional tensions escalate following widespread attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure.

Speaking to reporters before he departed for South America, Rubio reaffirmed Washington's military commitment to Riyadh while highlighting Tehran's involvement in the escalating cross-border conflict.

“The Houthis, in many ways, are agents and proxies of the Iranians. Behind some of this is clearly the Iranian hand. The US has a very strong defensive, military relationship with Saudi Arabia. We're watching those events very closely,” Rubio said.

Addressing ongoing ground hostilities within Yemen, where coalition-backed forces are attempting to counter Houthi territorial advances, Rubio noted that the US continues to closely track developments on the ground.

“This has been going on for some time. I think there's been some ground operations as well, where Yemeni forces are taking on the Houthis and pushing back against some of the ground advances that they attempted to make. And we're monitoring that, as I said, very, very closely. But I would defer, as far as the defence side, the Department of War, I don't think there'll be any announcements on that today," he said.

The Secretary’s comments follow statements from Saudi Arabian officials reporting that Houthi strikes targeted civilian and economic sites across Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan, and Najran, resulting in at least 73 civilian injuries, including women and children. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy confirmed that hits on southern energy facilities triggered fires and caused a temporary suspension of certain operations.

Coalition spokesman Major-General Turki al-Maliki condemned the strikes as a "dangerous escalation" and a "blatant violation" of Saudi sovereignty, warning that operational measures would be taken to counter the threats. Riyadh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed the stance, asserting that the kingdom would take all necessary steps to defend its territory.

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