Relationship dossier
Iran
Yemen
Relationship assessment
Iran’s support for the Houthi movement and Yemen’s diplomatic break with Tehran have made relations substantially adversarial.
Iran toward Yemen
-50Iran has politically backed the Houthi movement, which fought Yemen’s internationally recognized government, and has faced accusations of providing it with material and military support. This conduct has contributed to conflict and strained relations with Yemen’s recognized government.
Yemen toward Iran
-45In 2015, Yemen’s internationally recognized government severed diplomatic relations with Iran and accused Tehran of interfering in Yemen’s affairs, including through support for the Houthi movement.
Overall relationship
-50The relationship is shaped principally by Iran’s backing of the Houthi movement during Yemen’s conflict and the internationally recognized Yemeni government’s 2015 break in diplomatic relations with Tehran. These features create a durable adversarial structure, while the scope of Iranian support and direct bilateral engagement remain uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran has politically backed the Houthi movement and has been accused of providing it with material and military support during Yemen’s conflict with the internationally recognized government. In 2015, Yemen’s internationally recognized government severed diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing Tehran of interfering in Yemen’s affairs. These actions have made the relationship substantially adversarial, although the degree and scope of Iranian support remain contested.
Areas of tension
- Iranian support for the Houthi movement during Yemen’s conflict
- Yemen’s internationally recognized government accused Iran of interfering in Yemen’s affairs
- Yemen’s 2015 severing of diplomatic relations with Iran
Key developments
Yemen’s internationally recognized government severed diplomatic relations with Iran and accused Tehran of interference in Yemen’s affairs.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and operational details of Iranian material and military support to the Houthi movement remain contested.
- The extent of direct government-to-government engagement between Iran and Yemen’s internationally recognized government is unclear.