Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran does not need proxies in the region and that Yemen's Houthis, who are among the groups in the Middle East that Iran is aligned with, act on their own motivations.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, March 21, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran does not need proxies in the region and that Yemen's Houthis, who are among the groups in the Middle East that Iran is aligned with, act on their own motivations.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Houthis, as his administration expanded the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since he returned to the White House.
Over the years, Iran has been aligned with groups across the region that describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israel and U.S. influence.
Those groups include Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and various Shi'ite armed groups in Iraq.
Americans, said Khamenei, "make a big mistake and call regional resistance centres Iranian proxies. What does proxy mean?"
"The Yemeni nation has its own motivation and the resistance groups in the region have their own motivations. Iran doesn't need proxies," Khamenei said.
"They issue threats," added Khamenei, but "we have never started a confrontation or conflict with anyone. However, if anyone acts with malice and initiates it, they will receive severe slaps."
Experts on Yemen, where the Houthis expanded control during years of civil war, say the group seems mainly motivated by its domestic concerns and support base.
Dubai Newsroom
The United Arab Emirates has agreed to unlock billions of dollars for Iran, four sources said, in a tactical shift after weeks of Iranian attacks on the wealthy Gulf Arab state during the U.S.-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has failed to deliver on promises to secure full access for the Iranian soccer federation to attend the team's three games in the United States, Iran’s World Cup team supervisor told Reuters.
The United States and Iran on Friday appeared to have sharply different understandings of the contents of an emerging pact to end their war, though both sides signalled that an agreement was close.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.