SAVAMUN 2019

Committee: The United Nations Security Council

Country: The Islamic Republic of Iran
Topic: The Yemeni civil war

The Yemeni civil war is one of the most problematic conflicts at the moment, with over 20
million people on the brink of famine. We need to acknowledge from the very start the
importance of foreign intervention in this conflict, since it is a major factor to be taken into
consideration when we are discussing the horrible outcomes this confrontation brought upon
the region: 75% of the Yemeni population is in need of humanitarian assistance and 17,729
people have been killed or injured by May 2019. The international community was also
affected, supporting the consequences(sometimes undeserved)of their implication. The best
example would be the alarming and later proven untrue accusation coming from the United
States, blaming the Islamic Republic of Iran for orchestrating the drone attack on Saudi
Arabia oil facilities from September 2019. The attack was launched and proclaimed by the
Houthi Rebels as a much-needed warning sign for the Saudi led Coalition. While Iran
recognizes the usefulness of the attack, we had no implication.

Iran's involvement in this ongoing war has been debated upon ever since the beginning of
the conflict. One can argue that the whole Yemeni War is a proxy war between the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran,yet that affirmation would be completely
wrong. Despite many accusations, including the ones coming directly from the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, Iran did not get involved in this war to fight Saudi Arabia but to express its
concern and disappointment regarding the Yemen Government. A Government that did
nothing for their citizens but ignored their needs and values, the situation is even worse if
those citizens happened to belong to the Shia minority. The Islamic Republic of Iran
understood the needs of the Yemeni citizens better than their government did and we
expressed its appreciation for the actions taken by the Houthis. Because when a
Government is not respecting its obligations, the people are facing a major crisis and are
forced to act, to fight for better living conditions and recognition of their interests and national
visions. However, this does not mean that Iran should be accused of providing arms and
training the Houthi rebels because we do not consider the Houthis as their proxy, but rather
a group that is aligned with their political agenda.

Iran also made it clear from the declaration of foreign affairs minister, Mohammad Javad
Zarif that we are more than willing to help establish cooperation between the sides “This is
not a negotiation between Yemenis and foreigners, nor it is a negotiation between foreign
powers. Foreign powers should not set conditions for the future of Yemen, but what they
need to do is facilitate dialogue among Yemeni various groups and that’s what we are
prepared to do”. Our country strongly believes that to end this conflict, both sides should get
the chance to make their demands heard and that is why Iran has been open to discussing
with the Houthi leaders. Houthi leaders travelled to Tehran and signed agreements to
establish regular air service between the two capitals, they also agreed to increase
Yemeni-Iranian cooperation, this action was a big step forward for the confrontation. And for
being one of the only states that were willing to acknowledge the catastrophic mistakes
made by the Saudi backed Government, Iran was strictly sanctioned. When the USA pulled
out of the Iranian Nuclear Deal and imposed economic sanctions on Iran in 2018(even
though it was later proven by inspector controls that United States of America’s accusations
were false) it was clear that the Saudi led coalition would do anything to stop our state from
getting involved, including damaging the economy of a country that simply recognizes the
inability of the Yemeni Government to act according to its duties.

Iran has always promoted communication between the two sides and our past actions in the
conflict have been centred around this idea. That is why we supported the 2018 Sweden
peace talks and why The Foreign Ministry urged “all Yemeni sides to adopt trust and
confidence-building measures, preparing the ground for achieving a comprehensive
agreement to put an end to the suffering of all Yemenis — including ending the brutal
blockade that they are subjected to.”
As the minister of foreign affairs, Mohammad Javad Zarif has repeatedly mentioned Iran’s
“four-point plan” is the only viable option for ending the Yemen conflict. “We urge ceasefire,
humanitarian assistance, intra-Yemeni dialogue and establishment of broad-based
government,”

The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to encourage communication between the two
sides and we will not stop contributing to putting an end to this war as much as the pressure
from the Saudi-led Coalition continues to rise. Iran will do that while respecting the
international regulations imposed by the UN, such as not getting involved in this kind of
conflict without the UN’s approval.

Sources
https://www.mei.edu/publications/irans-role-yemen-and-prospects-peace
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/20/yemen-civil-war-the-conflict-explained
http://www.en.mfa.ir/uploads/RES2231E_56005.pdf
http://www.en.mfa.ir/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zlLti2w6LA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfCCNREjzGY
https://www.businessinsider.com/r-saudis-end-air-campaign-in-yemen-seek-political-solution-
--2015-4