ADEN, Yemen, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi Arabia-backed Yemeni government announced on Wednesday its full support to the decision made by the U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Yemen's Foreign Ministry said in an official statement that the government welcomed Trump's decision to end the U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran.
The Yemeni ministry described the decision as "a big step in the right direction to prevent Iran's destabilizing and dangerous behavior."
It also stated that "the deal failed to protect the vital interests of not only the U.S. but also its partners and allies in the Middle East, including Yemen."
According to the statement, "Iran's regime exploited the benefits of the JCPOA deal and continued exporting violence and expanding its ambition in the region."
The Yemeni government strongly slammed the Iranian role in Yemen saying that "Iran has been, for a very long time, supporting and arming the Houthi rebels in Yemen."
It also added that "Iran provided Houthis with sophisticated missiles and other technologies including military drones, sea mines, and explosive boats, which threaten freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."
In a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller in Riyadh on Wednesday, Yemen's President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said that Iran had exploited the nuclear deal negatively and "continued to interfere in the affairs of those countries in line with the Persian state's expansionist agenda."
The Yemeni government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, has long accused Iran of arming and financing the Shiite Houthis against Hadi, but Iran keeps denying the accusations.
Iran still has its embassy in Yemen's capital of Sanaa which has been controlled by the Houthis since September 2014.
The Saudi-led coalition of nine countries has carried out military operations against Houthis in Yemen since late March 2015 in an effort to restore Hadi's authority.
Houthis have been controlling much of Yemen's north by force, including the capital Sanaa since 2014.
The war has killed more than 10,000 Yemenis, mostly civilians, and displaced over 3 million, according to humanitarian agencies.
