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Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered USD 1 billion to Yemen's Houthi group as part of an Iran-brokered deal to secure a ceasefire and halt attacks on the kingdom, Israeli media reported, citing diplomatic sources in the Gulf.
According to the reports, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman travelled to Tehran for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire with the Houthis, with the proposed arrangement involving the transfer of USD 1 billion to the group through Iran. One diplomatic source claimed that the Saudi Minister had even brought the money aboard the Hercules military transport aircraft on which he arrived in Tehran. However, a Saudi official did not confirm that any money had been transferred, the reports said. The talks reportedly involved Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, alongside Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council Secretary General Mohsen Rezaei and senior officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the reports, Iran offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis amid escalating attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, which have inflicted economic damage on the kingdom. Iranian attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz have also disrupted oil exports from the Gulf. The Saudi Foreign Ministry addressed the visit in an official statement, saying, "The visit to Tehran by Prince Khalid bin Salman, the defence minister, and representatives of the member states of the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance comes as part of the alliance's ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions between the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions, and support the mediation efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan." A Saudi official, speaking to Israeli media, did not confirm the reported financial transfer but said that part of the dispute with the Houthis concerned the implementation of understandings reached three years ago. Under those understandings, Saudi Arabia was to provide direct financial assistance to the Houthis as part of efforts to settle. The funding was intended, among other purposes, to pay public-sector salaries in areas under Houthi control and rebuild civilian infrastructure. In return, the group was expected to uphold the ceasefire and stop attacks on Saudi Arabia, the reports said. In recent months, the Houthis have justified their "attacks" by alleging that Saudi Arabia reneged on the earlier understandings. The Israeli media also said the Saudi position remained that the kingdom rejected a new ceasefire under "military blackmail" and opposed transferring funds to the Houthis before they returned territory seized from Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Riyadh. The reported negotiations come amid broader regional tensions involving Iran, the United States and Israel, with Tehran seeking to strengthen its regional influence and promote a new security framework led by regional powers. According to Israeli media, the Tehran meeting also marked the first official meeting between representatives of the Mecca Joint Defense Alliance and the Iranian leadership. The initiative reportedly emerged during the Pakistani army chief's visit to Tehran the previous week. The reports said Iran was seeking to position itself as a regional diplomatic mediator while opposing US or Israeli military intervention in the region. The reported USD 1 billion proposal and the claim that the money was brought to Tehran have not been independently confirmed.(ANI)
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