Iran–Yemen relations

Iran and Yemen have had cordial, if tepid, relations since the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Ties between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government in Aden, however, have been damaged in recent years by Iran's support for the rival Yemeni government in Sanaa linked to the Houthis. Since 2019, Iran has recognized the Supreme Political Council as the sole legitimate government of Yemen and is the only country to have diplomatic relations with the Houthis.

The United States and the Saudi-backed government in Yemen have repeatedly accused Iran of providing funding and weapons to the Zaydi Shia Houthi rebels and on one occasion claimed to have discovered Iranian-made arms in rebel weapons caches. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia also accused Iran's allies in Lebanon and Syria of also supporting the Yemeni government in Sanaa. Iran has also deployed submarines and warships off Yemen's coast, in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, ostensibly to conduct anti-piracy operations.