Pressure on Iran will help avoid war: Saudi Crown Prince tells the WSJ

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman called on the international community to pressure Iran economically and politically.
Updated 30 March 2018
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Pressure on Iran will help avoid war: Saudi Crown Prince tells the WSJ

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman called on the international community to pressure Iran economically and politically with regards tothe nuclear agreement to avoid a direct military confrontation in the region during an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Friday.
“Sanctions will create more pressure on the Iranian regime,” the Saudi Crown Prince said, explaining that efforts must be made to avoid a military conflict in the region caused by Iran.
Iran has supplied the Houthi militia in Yemen with weapons used against Saudi Arabia over the past three years, the crown prince explained during the interview.  
Since the war in Yemen began, the Houthi militia group fired several ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia.
However, the crown prince stated that these attacks were “evidence of weakness”.
Meanwhile in response to a question on Saudi Arabia’s intervention, the crown prince said: “Yemen was about to get split between the Houthis and Al-Qaeda if we had not intervened in 2015.


Saudi Arabia announces new financial support to the Yemeni government

Updated 45 min 36 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia announces new financial support to the Yemeni government

RIYADH: Saudi Ambassador to Yemen and Supervisor of the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber announced that the Kingdom, under the directives of its leadership, has provided new support to the Yemeni government's budget, aimed at paying the salaries of state employees in all sectors.

In a post on X, Al-Jaber stated that this support complements a package of development projects and initiatives, amounting to SR1.9 billion, announced on Wednesday. The package includes provision of necessary petroleum derivatives to operate power plants, which will contribute to improving the living standards of people in Yemen and alleviating daily burdens on them.

Al-Jaber’s post emphasized, in particular, that all salaries of military and security forces linked to the the higher military committee linked to the Saudi led Coalition will be paid as of Sunday. 

 

The post is likely relate to Several Media reports which have suggested that disgraced former Southern Transitional Council (STC) chief Aidaroos Al Zubaidi — who has now fled Yemen — was taking advantage of military personnel and withholding salaries as means of pressure. Al-Zubaidi is wanted by the Yemeni government for acts of high treason and corruption. 

The ambassador emphasized that these steps come within the framework of supporting the Yemeni government's efforts to implement the economic reform program, which aims to achieve financial and economic stability and enhance the state's ability to meet its basic obligations.