US ices Iran out of Yemen talks
Iranian efforts to send a high-level official to Sweden talks with the Houthis have been rebuffed.
Iran sought to send a high-level official to Yemen peace talks but was rebuffed by the Donald Trump administration, Al-Monitor has learned.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry recently informed Sweden, which is hosting this week's UN-sponsored talks, of its desire to send a senior adviser to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the shuttle diplomacy between the Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in Stockholm. But the request was denied, according to several Iranian sources, because of US pressure.
The State Department would not confirm its role in shutting out Tehran, saying it doesn't detail the contents of its private diplomatic discussions. Neither the Swedish Embassy in Washington nor UN envoy Martin Griffiths responded to requests for comment.
But the State Department did suggest the Iranians are not playing a helpful role.
