«Stopping the Yemen war» ..After agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Iran's mission to the United Nations said that reaching an agreement with Saudi Arabia to restore bilateral relations will help reach a political settlement to the years-old Yemeni war.

Iranian media reported that Tehran and Saudi Arabia agreed, on Friday, to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies after seven years of tensions.

The conflict in Yemen has pushed the two regional powers to the brink of conflict and fueled tensions across the region.

Providing weapons to the Houthis

Western governments and United Nations experts have long accused Iran of providing weapons to the Houthis. Western armies have repeatedly intercepted ships bound for Yemen carrying Iranian weapons in the Red Sea. Tehran denied the accusations of arming the Houthis.

Armed conflict

China had brokered a major diplomatic breakthrough between Tehran and Riyadh, which is widely believed to reduce the potential for armed conflict between the two regional rivals, whether directly or in proxy conflicts.

The "IRNA" news agency, citing a statement from Iran's mission to the United Nations, said the agreement with Saudi Arabia would accelerate efforts to renew the expired ceasefire agreement, "help start a national dialogue, and form an inclusive national government in Yemen."

Yemen conflict

The ceasefire, the longest in Yemen's conflict, ended in October. However, the two sides refrained from taking serious escalatory measures that might lead to a flare-up of fighting, as negotiations were underway between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia to renew the agreement.

 The Houthis seemed to welcome the agreement, while criticizing the United States and Israel, Iran's biggest enemies.

The rebel spokesman and chief negotiator, Mohamed Abdel Salam, said that the region needs to restore normal relations between its countries, through which the Islamic community can regain its lost security as a result of foreign interventions, led by the Zionists and the Americans.

Rights groups say the Yemen war has unleashed one of the world's worst humanitarian crises and pushed millions of people to the brink of starvation.