The Yemeni authorities have arrested an Iranian spy cell that had been working in Yemen for seven years, the military-run 26 September Newspaper said.
The Newspaper said that the cell is run by a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), pointing out that it is tasked with running spy operations in Yemen and African Horn.
Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi had affirmed that there are a strong relations between the Houthi group and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In remarks to a Saudi newspaper, Al-Watan, Al-Qirbi said affirmed that Tehran trains the Houthis and provides them with weapons, equipments and funds.Al-Qirbi affirmed that Iran has relations with Al-Houthi group and other Yemeni groups, pointing out that such relations pose a source of concerns to Yemenis."There are other issues that we do not want to currently speak about because we are engaged in internal dialogue and hope that these issue are resolved through dialogue" he added.
Al-Qirbi had previously accused Iran of interfering in Yemen’s affairs, stressing that any Iranian cooperation with Yemeni political sides is unacceptable. "We along with all regional states are keen to have relations with Iran, but we refuse any intervention in internal affairs” he An Emirati Newspaper, Al-Khaleej.The US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein frequently cautioned against Iranian intervention in Yemen, indicating that Iran seeks to spark troubles in Yemen through supporting the Saada-based Houthi group.
According to the New York Times, Iran operates to increase its political outreach and arms shipments to rebels and other political figures in Yemen as part of what American military and intelligence officials say is a widening Iranian effort to extend its influence across the greater Middle East.