JEDDAH: Iran-backed Houthi militias must leave the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah as a condition of a UN-brokered peace deal, a senior UAE government minister said on Tuesday.
UN envoy Martin Griffiths arrives in Aden on Wednesday for talks with Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, following negotiations with the Houthis in Sanaa last week.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen is in close contact with Griffiths and “we do want to see this come to a positive conclusion,” said Reem Al-Hashimy, the UAE minister of state for international cooperation.
“But there are really certain elements we won’t sway from ... the withdrawal of the Houthis from the city is essential.
“The special envoy requires about a week or so in his conversations, those are quite delicate. Friday or Saturday this week, it comes to an end. We have continued to take a very measured and tactical approach.”
The port of Hodeidah is a vital lifeline for humanitarian aid to Yemen, but it is also a conduit for smuggling weapons and ammunition to the Houthis from Iran. They include components of missiles fired from northern Yemen and targeting Saudi cities, most recently Riyadh last Sunday.
To cut off the Houthi supply route, the coalition launched a military offensive this month to capture Hodeidah. They seized the airport last week and began a drive north toward the seaport.
The coalition has pledged a swift military operation to take the airport and seaport without entering the city, to minimize civilian casualties and keep aid flowing.
The Houthis are digging trenches, building fortifications and reinforcing their ranks with troops in Hodeidah and in other towns surrounding the city.
Houthis ‘must quit Hodeidah’ for UN peace to succeed
Houthis ‘must quit Hodeidah’ for UN peace to succeed
- UAE government minister says Iran-backed militias must leave port
- UN envoy Martin Griffiths arrives in Aden
Trump claims Iran working on missiles that could hit US
- Trump says his preference is diplomacy, but would never allow Tehran to have a nuclear weapon
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed Iran is seeking to develop missiles that can strike the United States and accused Tehran of working to rebuild a nuclear program that was targeted by American strikes last year.
The United States and Iran are engaged in high-stakes negotiations over Iran’s atomic program and other issues including missiles, with Trump saying he prefers diplomacy but is willing to use force if talks fail.
“They’ve already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they’re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America,” Trump said during his State of the Union address.
In 2025, the US Defense Intelligence Agency said Iran could potentially develop a militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile by 2035 “should Tehran decide to pursue the capability,” but did not say if it had made such a decision.
Tehran currently possesses short- and medium-range ballistic missiles with ranges that top out at about 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers), according to the US Congressional Research Service.
The continental United States is more than 6,000 miles from Iran’s western tip.
Washington and Tehran have concluded two rounds of talks aimed at reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear program to replace the agreement that Trump tore up during his first term in office.
‘Preference’ is diplomacy
The United States has repeatedly called for zero uranium enrichment by Iran but has also sought to address its ballistic missile program and support for armed groups in the region — demands Iran has rejected.
Iran has also repeatedly rejected that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.
Trump ordered strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last year, claiming afterward that Tehran’s atomic program was obliterated.
On Tuesday, he said Iran wants “to start all over again,” and that it is “at this moment again pursuing their sinister nuclear ambitions.”
Trump has sent a massive US military force to the Middle East, deploying two aircraft carriers as well as more than a dozen other ships, a large number of warplanes and other assets to the region.
He has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran if negotiations fail to reach a new agreement. Talks with Tehran are currently set to continue on Thursday.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy but one thing is certain: I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror, which they are by far, to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
The US president’s speech primarily focused on domestic issues, making no mention at all of China — Washington’s primary military and economic rival — and only briefly referring to Russia.
Trump said he was working to end the bloody conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and repeated his inaccurate claim that he had brought eight other wars to an end since returning to office in January 2025.
He also hailed NATO’s decision to spend five percent of gross domestic product on defense — a move made under heavy pressure from Trump and his administration.
