SANA'A: Yemen's Southern Separation Movement founder, Nasser al-Noba, revealed in an interview with the Asharq Alawsat newspaper that Iran was meddling in Yemen's internal affairs by trying to use opposition parties as platforms to promote its policies and infiltrate Yemen. The fear is that Iran would turn Yemen into a foothold in its fight against Saudi Arabia. Both giants have been battling for hegemony in the region for the past century, using sectarianism to heighten tension and find legitimacy in their territorial ambitions. Al-Noba said he suspected that Iran's influence over Yemen's politics would harm his country, putting it in the middle of a war by proxy. Interestingly, al-Noba told the newspaper that although this attempt to manipulate the SSM into doing Iran's bidding wasn't new since from the very creation of the movement Tehran had recruited men in the hope to mold them into loyalists, recent events had led him to believe that Iran was upping its game in the region and was entering dangerous grounds. “We warned the international community and GCC states that Iran's interference in the Yemeni internal affairs, especially the southern demand of separation from the north, is like a ticking bomb that might explode at any time,” said al-Noba. The politicians recalled an incident in Aden where an Iranian flag had been hoisted by SSM members, proclaiming their support of Tehran and its policies. With a rise in sectarianism in the northern Yemeni provinces led by al-Houthis rebels, a group of Shia militants financed by Iran, security analysts are now warning that unless political stability is re-established in Yemen, foreign entities will swoop in and use the country as a weapon, especially since its holds such as a strategic position in the Arabic Peninsula. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/vOlV5 Tags: Diplomacy, Meddling, SSM Section: Iran, Latest News, Yemen
