DUBAI: Yemen’s Iran-linked Houthi rebels have appointed an “ambassador” in Tehran, a step condemned by the internationally recognised government as a breach of international laws.

The Islamic republic made no announcement about accepting the appointment of an ambassador for the Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and much of the north.

The Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said that a “presidential decree was issued appointing Ibrahim Mohammed Mohammed al-Dailami as an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary for the republic of Yemen to the Islamic republic of Iran.”

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi severed diplomatic relations with Iran in October 2015, accusing Tehran of providing military aid to the rebels.

Tehran has denied the accusation but publicly offers strong political backing to the Houthis. The Yemeni government denounced the naming of an ambassador.

“The exchange of diplomatic relations between Tehran regime and the Houthi militias breaches the international laws and norms and contravenes United Nations Security Council resolutions related to the Yemen crisis,” the government said in a statement on Twitter.

It said the step has exposed the hidden relationship between the Houthis and Iran.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2019