by Jerusalem Post Staff
Tensions between Tehran and the Houthis reportedly escalated in April, after Iran failed to respond during heavy US strikes.
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Iran has lost significant control over the Houthis in Yemen, exposing fractures within Tehran’s remaining regional proxy network, Iranian officials told The Telegraph on Tuesday.
A senior Iranian official told The Telegraph the Houthis “have gone rogue” and “they do not listen to Tehran as much as they used to,” adding, “It’s not just the Houthis. Some groups in Iraq are also acting as if we never had any contact with them.”
According to the report, the Houthis became Tehran’s most critical remaining proxy force following the Israeli military actions that devastated Hezbollah’s leadership and isolated Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In an attempt to reassert control, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander reportedly traveled to Sanaa last week.
The report said that Iran aims to bolster support for the Houthis in an effort to stabilize what remains of its self-described “axis of resistance.”
Regarding Iraqi militias, an Iranian official noted that “They were told several times to not even hold training sessions for a while until things calmed down, but they do not listen either.”
The Houthis have enhanced their ability to conceal weapons, broadened supply lines, and reduced their reliance on Tehran, the report added.
Former Yemeni diplomat Mahmoud Shehrah told The Telegraph that the group is driven by its own ideological motivations, though coordination with Iran continues.
“The Houthis don’t need someone to encourage them. This is about the Houthis’ beliefs, and they have their literature and their narratives,” Shehrah said.
Tensions rose as Iran failed to defend Houthis during US strikes
Tensions between Tehran and the Houthis reportedly escalated in April, after Iran failed to respond during heavy US strikes. Since the October 7 Hamas-led massacre in Israel, the Houthis have strengthened their missile capabilities and reinforced their control over Sanaa.The report said the group is involved in tax collection, diversion of aid, drug smuggling, arms trafficking to Africa, and disrupting shipping in the Red Sea. Yemen’s mountainous terrain continues to provide cover for drones and missile storage.
In response, the IRGC has redeployed Quds Force commander Abdolreza Shahlaei to Yemen.
A Defense Line report cited internal unrest within the Houthis, stating that IRGC advisers were unable to resolve the group’s strategic drift.
“The Houthis are currently facing a crisis of options and priorities, pressing internal challenges, and a complex regional landscape,” the report said.
It added that the Houthis are “essentially an extension and reflection of the confusion that exists in Tehran.”
Quds Force commander Shahlaei is wanted by the United States, which has offered a $15 million reward for information on his activities.
An Iranian official said Shahlaei is expected to press the Houthis to improve cooperation, calling them the only functioning group left among Iran’s allies.
Despite a US-led campaign of airstrikes over the past two years that cost an estimated $7 billion, the report said they were less effective than previously claimed.
The Houthis, accustomed to prolonged aerial bombardment, continued to operate by concealing equipment and employing mobile tactics.
“There is benefit for both Iran and the Houthis to work together, and they have been. But I think they also have divergent interests, and they’ll carry their own interests when they see fit, whether in Iran’s case or in the Houthi case. Think of it as a kind of franchise,” Dr. Bader Al-Saif of the University of Kuwait told The Telegraph.
Jerusalem Post Staff
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-875112
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