The authorities of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) issued a decree on Saturday
appointing a Yemeni ambassador to Iran, which the Yemeni government considered "legitimate" internationally recognized, "a flagrant violation of international laws and customs."
The Houthi-run Yemeni News Agency (Saba) reported that a Republican Decree was issued on Saturday appointing Ibrahim Mohammad Mohammad Al-Dailami as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Yemen to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Houthi-run Al-Massira TV stated that
"This step reinforces formal institutional work within the framework of the Supreme Political Council and the Salvation Government," which the Houthis formed to administer the areas under their control.
In the first reaction of the Yemen's internationally recognized "legitimate" government, said the Minister of Information, Moammer al-Eryani in this government: "The diplomatic exchange between the Tehran regime and its tools in Yemen, the Houthi militia, is not surprising. It confirms what we have said from the beginning about this relationship, its nature and objectives. "
Al-Eryani said in a series of tweets on Twitter seen by the "Debriefer" international news agency that his government would submit a protest note to the United Nations,
"We affirm in the Yemeni government our right to take the necessary measures and submit a formal protest note to the United Nations regarding this development, which is a flagrant violation of international laws and customs.", he said.
The Minister of Information demanded the international community "To take a firm stand on the continuation of Iranian interventions in Yemen and its destabilizing policies of security and stability,".
The official in the Yemen's internationally recognized government linked the timing of the Houthis announcement to appoint an ambassador to Tehran in light of the "flare-up of the region against the background of the crisis of the hijacking of oil tankers with the security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz."
"This is an affirmation of the isolation of the Tehran regime and its efforts to break it," he said.
Yemen has been devastated by a five-year armed conflict between the government backed by the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis. The conflict erupted after the Houthis ousted the government and seized power in late 2014.
The Houthis' announcement of the appointment of Yemen's ambassador to Tehran comes after remarkable developments in relations between the group and Iran. A Houthi delegation has been visiting Iran for more than a week.
He met with a number of officials, led by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the country in addition to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Khamenei announced at the end of the meeting "his support for the jihad of Yemeni women and men," referring to his support for the Houthi group, which has been in control of the capital Sana'a and most of northern Yemen's densely populated and urban areas since late 2014.
A few minutes before the Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced their decision to appoint an ambassador to Tehran, the leader of the group, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech, that the delegation's visit to Iran comes in preparation for the return of official relations and diplomatic representation with the Islamic Republic.
Al-Houthi praised a Iran position by standing by his group, considering the visit of his group's delegation to Tehran aims at "breaking the isolation of Yemen by the official relations between Yemen and Iran, which was earlier at the level of presidents, ministers and joint committees ", noting that there were more than 70 agreements between Iran and Yemen before the Houthis came to power, and relations with Tehran "will be better than the past."
Earlier on Saturday, an official meeting was held in Tehran on Saturday, which gathered a delegation of the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) in Yemen, ambassadors of four European countries to Iran, Britain, Germany, France and Italy, and representatives of the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The meeting insisted on a rapid stop for the 4-year war and on political solution for the crisis in Yemen, said the Iranian Faris agency, as the conferrers expressed concerns at the deteriorating humanitarian conditions and called for accelerated delivery of aid to the country.
