Al-Zoubah to Al-Nahar: The 'Iranian-Houthi' project is based on terrorism and the sabotage of states and societies

The Yemeni Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Afrah Al-Zoubi, affirmed that Yemen, as the southern gateway to the Gulf and the Arab nation, would see one of the most important bulwarks against the Iranian project and its Houthi arm fall if it were breached and engulfed in flames. In an exclusive interview with Al-Nahar, Al-Zoubi stated that the Houthi project is no less dangerous than the Iranian one, as it constitutes, unlike other proxies, a destructive enterprise in its own right. She noted that while weakening Iran would diminish the other proxies, it might not affect the Houthis to the same extent.

Al-Zoubi added that the Houthis have a comprehensive project in their areas, which, although covering roughly 20% of the country’s territory, house a population share exceeding half. She described how the Houthis have subjected both children and adults to programs akin to the notorious Nazi brainwashing campaigns, isolating them for weeks without phones or communication tools, forcing them to listen only to directive, advisory, and fervent speeches by their leader.

She pointed out that the production and profits from the drug Captagon have shifted from Syria, following the fall of the Assad regime, to Yemen for export, generating funds to purchase weapons. Al-Zoubi emphasized that the Houthis finance their control over Yemen through levies, taxes, salary deductions, and the collection of zakat, all while harboring ambitions for expansion and external aggression. Therefore, preserving the legitimate authority is crucial for safeguarding the security of Gulf states and the broader Arab region.

She stressed that there is Houthi expansion in exporting drones and weapons to certain forces and militias in Sudan. She also expressed surprise at the Houthi alliance with Al-Qaeda forces in Somalia, which corroborates reports of an Iranian alliance with Al-Qaeda, a group that propagated sectarianism in Iraq and targeted shrines, mosques, markets, and areas inhabited by communities Iran falsely claims to defend.

Al-Zoubi lamented that the Houthi leadership views other components of Yemen with contempt, racism, and sectarianism, treating them as if they were slaves under a brutal and harsh security grip that has forced many to flee Houthi-held areas for other regions. She noted that the Houthis have not only restricted citizens’ freedoms but also manipulated the dollar exchange rate and, coupled with weak funding, have made it difficult for the legitimate government to continue paying salaries to employees under Houthi rule.

She highlighted that the Houthis’ destructive expansion, which seeks control through demolition and sabotage rather than reconstruction and development, has even reached the Nigerian terrorist organization Boko Haram. This, she said, proves that the “Iranian-Houthi” project is based on terrorism and the sabotage of states and societies, far removed from their flashy, false slogans. She added that slogans calling for the death of America and Israel invariably end up causing the death of Arab and Muslim peoples, not the states that empty-handedly raise such slogans against them.

Turning to international straits, the Yemeni Foreign Minister told Al-Nahar that controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait, interfering with ships in the Red Sea, and Iran’s unjustified closure of the Strait of Hormez constitute violations against the true owners of these international waterways: the entire world community, not just the states bordering the Gulf and the Red Sea. She argued that such interference weakens two strategic straits in the Arab region, harms the revenues and strategic importance of the Suez Canal, and damages the region and its countries. Ships that divert away from our straits and canal as Arabs will not return, and one senior Western official predicted that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz could be reduced by 70% within just two years.

A recruitment project was revealed, highlighting a perpetual Houthi recruitment scheme designed to create an endless state of war in Yemen and the region, similar to the situations in countries where Iran has intervened, creating unresolved conflicts and wars that have persisted for decades. She stated that the Houthis have deployed missile batteries on the borders of neighboring countries, which leaves no doubt about their aggressive intentions toward them. The truce, in their view, is merely opportunistic, serving as a waiting period for the right moment to betray and launch attacks.

She added that the Houthis do not merely supply weapons to youth and students instead of keyboards; they also force parents to pay for these weapons out of their meager salaries, thereby exacerbating poverty and destroying Yemen’s future as generations carry Kalashnikovs instead of keyboards.

Enemies of Arabism: She emphasized that the Houthi project, which is being promoted in Yemen—the country where Arabs originated and where the banner of Arabism was raised for long periods—considers all Arabs as enemies and adversaries who must be insulted and whose intentions are to be distrusted. She pointed out a widespread misconception in the media that equates the Houthis with Yemen. When the Houthis attack any country, the media often reports that Yemen, rather than the Houthis, has been aggressed against. This is a grave media error, as a clear distinction must be made between Yemen and the Houthis.

She added that, thanks to God, despite resource shortages, we have begun implementing outdated curricula in our areas. We require financial resources to update these curricula and to improve healthcare services to prevent child deaths from malnutrition and diseases.

Dangerous practices: She noted that in Houthi-controlled areas, some Yemeni doctors are prosecuted for administering vaccines to children, as if the desired outcome is for children to die from diseases or suffer from paralysis and other childhood illnesses. Furthermore, teachers and civil servants work under harsh, dangerous conditions and receive extremely low salaries. The Houthis also restrict the activities of personnel working within international organizations, prosecuting and imprisoning them, which causes the most severe damage to public services and their beneficiaries.

She added that during the Kuwait talks in 2016, in which we participated, we called on all parties to adhere to the outcomes of the National Dialogue, the Gulf Initiative, and UN resolutions by disarming the militias. The Houthi representative responded that anyone wishing to disarm them should do so on the battlefields, demonstrating their lack of willingness to resolve the conflict through peaceful means from the outset.

Occupier’s mentality: She stated that, similar to the genocidal regime of Pol Pot, the Houthis are destroying the remaining agricultural land by forcing farmers to sell their produce at extremely low prices, which the Houthen then resell at high prices for their own profit. She pointed out that what the Houthis are doing to the Yemeni people is not much different from what Palestinians endure in occupied lands. In reality, through their actions, the Houthis act as occupiers of Yemeni territories and treat the population accordingly. Even travel is forbidden for Yemenis in the areas occupied by the Houthis; anyone wishing to travel must register their name, undergo interrogation, and may even be denied permission.

She stressed that the legitimate Yemeni government is cohesive and is exerting its utmost efforts to resolve the crisis with the assistance of brotherly nations and allies.

Suppression of Yemenis: She noted that the Houthis, like all genocidal regimes worldwide, excel only in internal security, controlling through force, and suppressing innocent citizens. She stated that our primary demand is adherence to legitimacy and international laws, and the disarmament of militias, as has occurred in Iraq and Lebanon. The Yemeni people are not hostile; they are tolerant, and all issues could be easily resolved if the legitimate government were to regain control over all Yemeni territory.

She added that the Houthis’ lifelines are weapons and funding; the weaker their supply, the weaker the Houthis become and the less hardline they grow. She noted that Iran’s weakening, due to its resources and military operations, would consequently weaken the Houthis, although Iran would, in turn, become more attached to them. She concluded her remarks by stating that Gulf states understand the Yemeni situation and require greater understanding from some Arab countries.