Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers speak after Houthi missile strikes; Tehran offers help to end Yemen conflict

Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched a barrage of missile attacks on key and crowded locations in Saudi Arabia. The attacks have pushed the situation in West Asia, or the Middle East, to an extremely delicate point. Amid this, the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran have held important talks.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke over the phone. This is the first official and public conversation recorded between the two countries since the Houthi missile attacks on Saudi civilian sites intensified. In the talks, Iran offered every kind of cooperation to end the long-running conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and to facilitate peace talks. Sharing the information on Telegram, the Iranian foreign minister said Tehran is committed to reducing tensions in the region.

The missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday drew the world's attention. Initially, 12 people were killed and more than 309 were injured in the attack. On Sunday, an Indian national who had been seriously injured died during treatment, raising the toll in the first attack to 13.

It did not end there. On Sunday, the Houthi rebels fired a missile again at Terminal 4 of King Khalid Airport, causing a massive fire in the airport complex. According to information provided by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), a Pakistani national died on the spot in this second attack and 11 people are seriously injured. A missile attack has also taken place at King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, a city near the borders of Bahrain and Qatar. Saudi officials have confirmed this, though full details have yet to emerge. It is being considered the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in the past decade.

The attacks have drawn strong international reaction. Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke immediately to representatives of Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Jordan and the European Union. Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani strongly condemned the terrorist attack and assured full support for Saudi Arabia's security and sovereignty. British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the targeting of civilian areas and announced Britain's full support for the Saudi government as well as for Yemen's internationally recognised government. The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas openly called the attack an "act of terror" and said global cooperation must be stepped up to protect civilian flights and maritime trade routes. Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi thanked the Saudi government for the immediate medical assistance given to injured Jordanian nationals.

The Houthi rebels' sudden escalation has dealt a major blow to the economic stability not only of Saudi Arabia but of the entire Gulf region. International flights have had to be cancelled and questions of security have arisen, so there are fears that global trade and fuel supplies will be affected.

Saudi Arabia is working through diplomatic channels with international partner countries to emerge from this tension and to prevent the war from spreading. Iran's offer of talks could prove important in finding a political solution to the crisis, but what happens next will depend on how the Houthi rebels respond.