Saudi Arabia rejects ‘military blackmail’ as $1 billion Houthi deal is reported
The proposed arrangement reportedly involved transferring $1 billion to the group through Iran. The reported $1 billion proposal, including the claim that the money was brought to Tehran aboard the Saudi minister’s aircraft, has not been independently confirmed. ” A Saudi official, speaking to Israeli media, did not confirm the reported financial transfer but said that part of the dispute with the Houthis centred on the implementation of understandings reached three years ago.
Saudi defence minister Prince Khalid bin Salman travelled to Tehran for talks on a possible ceasefire with the Houthis, according to the reports. However, a Saudi official did not confirm that any money had been transferred, the reports said. Iran offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis amid escalating attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, which have caused economic damage to the kingdom, according to the reports. The Tehran meeting also marked the first official meeting between representatives of the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance and the Iranian leadership, according to Israeli media.
One diplomatic source claimed that the Saudi minister had even brought the money to Tehran aboard the Hercules military transport aircraft he arrived in. The talks reportedly brought together Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir , alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council Secretary General Mohsen Rezaei and senior officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Saudi foreign ministry addressed the visit in an official statement, saying, “The visit to Tehran by Prince Khalid bin Salman, the defence minister, and representatives of the member states of the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance comes as part of the ‘Nato-style’ alliance’s ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions between the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions, and support the mediation efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The initiative reportedly took shape during the Pakistani army chief’s visit to Tehran the previous week.