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Source: http://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/yemen-and-saudi-iranian-cold-war
Yemen and the Saudi-Iranian
(Chatham House-The Royal Institute of International Affairs-UK) Peter Salisbury - The competition between Iran and Saudi Arabia for regional power continues to exacerbate the conflict in Yemen. Interviews with people who have been granted rare access to the Houthis' inner circle of leaders suggest that the core leadership is in many cases genuinely committed to the Islamic revolutionary principles set out by Hussein Badr al-Deen al-Houthi, which in turn borrow heavily from those of Iran. Saudi Arabia perceives the Houthis as an Iranian proxy. However, while the group has some support from Iran, this is not the same as taking orders from it. Domestically, the Houthis are unlikely to be able to govern the country and deal with its multiple insurgencies alone. Yemen will also require the financial backing of its much wealthier neighbors, above all Saudi Arabia, to prevent its economic collapse.