By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-12-03

Analysts said that the Iran-Houthi alliance is fractured because Tehran views the Houthis as subservient proxies, not partners, using them to advance its regional interests while disregarding Yemen's stability.

Statements made by an Iranian official to The Telegraph have raised doubts about the strength and solidity of the relationship between Iran and the Houthis.

The official notably indicated that the Houthis have "gone rogue" and "no longer listen to Tehran as much as they used to."

He added on November 27 that Iraqi groups are also acting as if they are not affiliated with Iran.

According to the Telegraph report, the Houthis have become Tehran's most important proxy following Israeli military operations that crushed Hizbullah's leadership in Lebanon and isolated Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Tensions between Tehran and the Houthis escalated in April after Iran failed to respond to the intense US airstrikes.

A Relationship based on exploitation

"The underlying tension between Iran and the Houthis is predictable, revealing a relationship defined by Iranian hegemony versus the Houthis' self-serving agenda, all while lacking a national project that truly benefits Yemen," said Muhammed al-Omda, head of the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms.

"The confirmation by Iranian officials that the Houthis deviated from their directives shows the relationship is subservience, not partnership, and that Tehran is exploiting Yemen as a proxy battleground," he told Al-Fassel.

Al-Omda emphasized that the Yemeni citizen remains the primary victim of this relationship.

"Both Iran and the Houthis are responsible for the Yemeni tragedy, having dismantled the state, destroyed the economy, and torn the social fabric, thus creating waves of violence, poverty, and displacement," he said.

Iran's abandonment during the strikes

Iran's abstention from supporting the Houthis during the US strikes is clear evidence that Iranian regime views the Houthis as a tool, al-Omda said.

"Historically, Iran abandons its proxies when the cost of supporting them becomes too high, a pattern that has been repeated with groups in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon," he added.

Faisal Ahmed, a political analyst, concurred, noting that Iran tactically abandoned the Houthis during the US strikes because Tehran's main priority is to "avoid any direct harm to its interests."

"Iran's behavior toward the Houthis shows the relationship is one of functional subservience," he told Al-Fassel.

"The Houthis are a tool of influence that Tehran abandons when its interests require it," he added.

Ahmed said that the dispute does not absolve either party of its responsibility for the devastation in Yemen.