(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) Iran urges Saudi Arabia to pursue diplomacy after Houthis escalate attacks | Government News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/irans-fm-urges-diplomacy-in-call-with-saudi-counterpart)                                              (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/10/12/irans-fm-urges-diplomacy-in-call-with-saudi-counterpart)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/reuters_6acc08f3-1791756531.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/10/reuters_6acc08f3-1791756531.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.7538e11f.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.9adb4a4c.r2.chunk.css) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (https://www.aljazeera.com/static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (irans-fm-urges-diplomacy-in-call-with-saudi-counterpart@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/aljazeera-originals) Originals   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/where/middle-east/iran/) Iran    (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/2/hold-analysis-khameneis-killing-leaves-irans-axis-in-disarray) Iran’s ‘axis’ in disarray   (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/2/after-irans-salvo-hit-their-skylines-will-the-gulf-states-enter-the-war) Will Gulf states join war?   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Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share Iran urges Saudi Arabia to pursue diplomacy after Houthis escalate attacks on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fe8nfrf) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Iran%20urges%20Saudi%20Arabia%20to%20pursue%20diplomacy%20after%20Houthis%20escalate%20attacks&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fe8nfrf) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fe8nfrf) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/e8nfrf)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Social Media/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. NEWS USE ONLY. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. Verification lines: The location was verified as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from the airport buildings, light poles, and painted tarmac markings which matched satellite imagery. Coordinates: 24.952651844496998, 46.70783371105999 Smoke was seen rising from a stationary aircraft at Riyadh airport on Thursday, according to a witness and three people briefed on the matter. There was no immediate official confirmation from Saudi authorities on the reported incident. No versions of the video were found posted online before October 8.)   Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 8, 2026, after Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed the attack [Reuters]   By  Reuters   Published On 12 Oct 2026 12 Oct 2026    Iran has urged rival Saudi Arabia to pursue a diplomatic solution to its escalating conflict with the Houthi armed group in Yemen, warning that continued military action would only worsen the situation. “Insisting on a military approach and disregarding a political solution would only further complicate the situation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a telephone call on Sunday, according to a statement from Tehran. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/11/world-condemns-deadly-houthi-attack-on-saudi-arabias-riyadh-airport) World condemns deadly Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh airport  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/11/why-are-houthi-missiles-breaking-through-saudi-arabias-air-defences) Why are Houthi missiles breaking through Saudi Arabia’s air defences?  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/10/11/saudi-arabia-vows-response-over-houthi-war-crime-attack-on-riyadh-airport) Saudi Arabia vows response over Houthi ‘war crime’ attack on Riyadh airport   end of list  The Saudi state news agency reported that the two ministers discussed the recent escalation in violence in the region after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), launched deadly air attacks on Saudi airports. In a post on Telegram on Sunday, Araghchi emphasised that insisting on a military approach while disregarding political solutions would further complicate the situation. The Iranian minister said the region’s crises have no military solutions. Araghchi said Iran is ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate the start of dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and to help achieve a political solution. In a media briefing on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaiel Baghaei also stressed that Tehran was open to resolving the conflict through dialogue. “We do not want hostilities to continue between two Muslim countries, especially as the region is already facing tensions caused by the United States and Israel” Baghaei said. Advertisement    “We have consistently stressed that the people of Yemen have the right to live with dignity, free from pressure, sanctions and blockade” Baghaei added, emphasising Iran’s “readiness to help resolve the issue through dialogue.”      Military defence and maritime analyst Alexandru Hudisteanu told Al Jazeera that Iran’s offer to mediate talks to end strikes on Saudi Arabia adds to evidence that Houthi attacks on the Kingdom are coordinated with Tehran. “I think that while a week ago, we were wondering whether there is any strict coordination between the Houthis’ action in Saudi Arabia with Iran, especially in the maritime aspects with an uptick of attacks on shipping, right now, it is hard to think that that coordination does not exist,” Hudisteanu said. “There is a high probability that Iran is behind these particular set of attacks,” Hudisteanu said, adding that the attacks on Saudi Arabia were a “core reflection of how Iran sees the region, where Iran wants to be a power broker and will instrument its proxies.” Following (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/10/attack-on-airport-in-saudi-capital-riyadh-leaves-several-injured) an attack on the Riyadh airport that killed 13 people and wounded more than 300 others on Saturday, US President Donald Trump said he would reconsider the role of the United States in Yemen, adding that he was also (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/is-trump-signalling-a-return-to-war-with-iran-after-the-midterms) weighing resuming strikes on Iran. The remarks represent a departure from the president’s comments on Thursday that Washington will not resume strikes on Iran until after the US midterm elections early next month. Iranian and Saudi diplomatic ties have endured despite longstanding friction, with embassies restored under a 2023 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/10/iran-and-saudi-agree-to-restore-relations) Chinese-brokered agreement remaining operational. Before that breakthrough, a seven-year diplomatic (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2016/1/5/saudi-arabia-and-iran-and-how-we-got-here) rupture had fuelled regional proxy conflicts. Riyadh’s relationship with Tehran has deteriorated since the start of the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February. Following the attacks, Tehran and its aligned forces (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/7/how-have-countries-around-the-world-responded-to-the-us-israel-war-on-iran) have struck US military assets and energy infrastructure across the Gulf region, including oil fields in Saudi Arabia. In March, Prince Faisal warned Iran that tolerance of its attacks on Saudi Arabia and those of neighbouring Gulf states was limited, calling on Tehran to “recalculate” its strategy.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network