US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Saudi Arabia to allay the kingdom's apprehensions about Iran, and to help it find a dignified end to the Yemen conflict. Saudi Arabia and its regional allies are worried about the framework agreement the US and other members of the P5+1 group are to finalise by the end of the next month, lifting economic sanctions against Tehran in exchange for various measures aimed at limiting its nuclear capability. They fear that an internationally rehabilitated and sanctions-free Iran would act more confidently to enhance its clout in the region. There was no surprise, therefore, in what the top US diplomat had to tell journalists about his meeting with King Salman. "We made clear that we remain concerned about Iran's destabilising actions in the region," he said, adding that because of those concerns "we believe that it is so important that Iran not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, and we will continue to work with our friends and allies in the region."
With reference to Iran's growing influence, the US and Saudi Arabia for a while have had serious differences over Syria, where the latter has been backing the radical Islamists fighting the Assad regime while the US had stepped back after realising religious extremists linked to al Qaeda had begun to dominate the opposition. Washington and Riyadh have a lot of common interests. The US has been voicing its support for the Saudi-led coalition's military action in Yemen. Despite bombings since March 26 and airdrops of arms to pro-Hadi government factions, the coalition is nowhere near achieving its stated objective of restoring the ousted government to power. The Houthis, continuing to advance after seizing control of the capital Sana'a, have recently taken over the last remaining central part of the strategically located port city of Aden.
Weeks of war in Yemen has claimed more than 1,400 lives and wounded nearly 6,000 many, if not most, of them civilians, and caused extensive damage to the impoverished country's infrastructure. Bombings from the air while they cause immense human suffering, on their own cannot win a war. Boots on the ground could only aggravate suffering without an assured victory. US Secretary of State therefore has been trying to bring calm to the situation and seems to be pushing the two sides towards the negotiations table. He said that during his talks in Riyadh there was no discussion about sending troops into Yemen. After a meeting with him the new Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, proposed a five-day humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen, described by Kerry as a "major opportunity" to ease the crisis. The other side must be listening carefully as he set the ceasefire conditions saying "no bombing, no shooting, no movement or repositioning of troops to achieve military advantage." And equally important, Kerry said, if the other side met those commitments, the ceasefire could be renewable. Also, lending strength to the impression that ending the Yemeni conflict was the Secretary of State's main mission are reports that UN special envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed too was present in Riyadh in a bid to re-launch peace talks between the government and rebel forces.