Saudi Arabia offered $1 billion to the Houthis via Iran in return for stopping attacks, Israeli media claim

Riyadh has offered to give Yemen's Houthi group 1 billion dollars through Iran in return for stopping attacks on Saudi Arabia and ensuring a ceasefire. Israeli media reported the information, citing diplomatic sources in the Gulf region.

The matter surfaced in a report by the Times of India news agency on Tuesday (27 October).

According to the report, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman travelled to Tehran for talks on a ceasefire with the Houthi group. A diplomatic source claimed the Saudi defence minister carried 1 billion dollars to Tehran aboard his Hercules military transport aircraft. No Saudi government official, however, has confirmed anything about a transfer of money.

Present at the Tehran talks were Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council secretary general Mohsen Rezaei, and top officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The report said Iran had put forward this mediation proposal after continued Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and oil installations caused economic damage in Saudi Arabia.

In an official statement on the visit, the Saudi foreign ministry said: 'The Tehran visit of Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and representatives of the member states of the Makkah joint defence coalition has come as part of the ongoing efforts of this NATO-style coalition to reduce tensions among the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and a diplomatic solution, and support the mediation efforts led by Qatar and Pakistan.'

Speaking to Israeli media, a Saudi official did not confirm the money transfer, but said the root cause of the conflict lies in implementing the understanding reached three years ago.

Under that understanding, direct financial assistance was to be provided for the salaries of government employees and infrastructure reconstruction in Houthi-controlled areas, in return for which the Houthis would refrain from attacks. The Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of breaking its pledge, while Saudi Arabia's position is that it will not enter a new ceasefire under military blackmail.

This is the first formal meeting between the Makkah joint defence coalition and the Iranian leadership, and it took shape mainly during the Pakistani army chief's visit to Tehran last week.

The report noted, however, that the claim of a 1 billion dollar offer to Iran, or of money being carried by aircraft, could not be independently verified.