December 4, 2014 | Policy Brief

Blowback in Sana’a

December 4, 2014 | Policy Brief

Blowback in Sana’a

A car bomb exploded early Wednesday morning outside the Iranian ambassador’s residence in Sana’a, reportedly killing three and adding yet another layer of complexity to Yemen’s unstable political and security situations. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed responsibility, an apparent retaliatory attack for Iran’s alleged support for the Shi’ite Houthi rebels who have pushed into Yemen’s Sunni heartland since seizing the capital in late September. Wednesday’s bombing shifts attention away from the country’s internal power struggles and highlights Iran’s murky role in Yemen’s affairs.

Many have accused Iran of supporting the Houthis – northern rebels who hail from Yemen’s Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam – since their civil war with Yemeni military forces erupted in 2004. Indications of this alleged support include Yemen’s seizure of an Iranian ship carrying anti-tank weapons in October 2009, as well as a joint U.S.-Yemeni military operation that intercepted another vessel laden with arms in January 2013. Despite Iranian denials, markings on the confiscated weapons indicated they had come from Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities. U.S. officials reported that the arms were headed to Shi’ite insurgents in Yemen’s northern provinces.

AQAP has capitalized on suspicions of Iranian meddling and has sought to portray itself as the champion of Yemen’s Sunni tribes in the face of the Iranian-backed Houthi onslaught. The terrorist group routinely refers to the Houthis as “Iranian agents” and has framed the insurgency as an Iranian political and sectarian plot to extend Tehran’s control throughout the Sunni world.

These longstanding accusations took on new significance as Iranian officials welcomed the Houthis’ southward military advance from their northern redoubts in Sa’dah province this summer, culminating in the fall of Sana’a. Shortly thereafter, Ali Riza Zakani, a member of the Iranian Majlis (Parliament) commented, “Three Arab capitals have already fallen into Iran’s hands,” suggesting that after Damascus, Beirut and Baghdad, Sana’a would be next. Zakani added that the Houthi rebellion in Yemen is “a natural extension of the Iranian revolution.” Ali Akbar Velayati, a seasoned Iranian politician and close adviser to the Supreme Leader announced, “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the rightful struggles of Ansar Allah [the Houthis] in Yemen.”

The latest bombing was not the first time AQAP has targeted Iranian interests in Yemen. Yemeni officials claimed that AQAP was behind the July 2013 kidnapping of Iranian diplomat Nour Ahmad Nikbakht near the Iranian embassy in Sana’a. Gunmen believed to belong to AQAP assasinated Ali Asghar Asadi, Iran’s economic attaché in Sana’a, in a drive-by shooting in the Yemeni capital in January 2014.

As the Houthis continue their march throughout Yemen, more questions will arise regarding the role of their alleged Iranian backers. And although the precise nature and extent of Iran’s involvement in Yemen’s affairs remains unclear, Wednesday’s bombing confirms that the Islamic Republic will pay a steep price for the perception of its regional meddling.

Oren Adaki is a Research Associate at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter, @orenadaki