“Six years have passed and they [the Houthis] haven’t surrendered. They [the US and Saudis] were very mistaken,” Khamenei said. He went on demanding that the US be asked about giving a green light to Riyadh in 2015.“Did you [Americans] know what a quagmire you were getting the Saudis into?" he asked. "Now, they can neither end the war, nor continue it. Did you Americans know what a disaster you were creating for the Saudis? If you did know, how miserable your allies are to be treated in such a way! And if you didn't know, again how miserable they are that they trust you!”The tweets provide an interesting view into the leadership of Iran and its Yemen policy. On the one hand, they illustrate how deeply they blame the US for the Saudi war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia intervened with the support of the UAE and other countries in the region in 2015. Support for Riyadh eroded after the Gulf crisis with Qatar. Soon major Gulf media outlets and Turkish media were more critical of the Saudi role. Iran also increasingly tried to supplant the Saudis in Lebanon, necessitating Riyadh to call Saad Hariri to the kingdom for consultations. Now it appears to see reversals for the Yemen forces it supports in Marib. Chaos in Aden also has not helped. Iran’s messaging is that they think they have put the Saudis into a trap. What appeared to be an easy campaign has become a “quagmire,” and Iran wants to keep it that way. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Egypt also entered Yemen in the 1960s and found itself in a Vietnam-like quagmire which allegedly harmed its ability to move troops to confront Israel in 1967.Iran’s point is that Riyadh cannot now extricate itself. Tehran wants to hold Saudi Arabia in Yemen and pin it down and also test its drones and missiles on Saudi Arabia. The message is clear. Iran hopes this proxy war will prove to be a watershed – and that it can then use the same tactics it used in Yemen against the US in the region and against its partners and allies, such as Israel.The Saudis started the war in #Yemen with the green light & vast military aid of Obama's Democrat govt thinking they would bombard the unarmed, defenseless people of Yemen making them surrender in a month. 6 years have passed & they haven’t surrendered. They were very mistaken.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 21, 2021