Riyadh, 17 October, 2026 (Nosheen): Iran has denied any involvement in attacks carried out by Yemen’s Houthi movement against Saudi Arabia, rejecting accusations from Riyadh that Tehran encouraged the latest escalation in hostilities. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran had played no role in Houthi operations, adding that Yemen’s armed forces acted according to their own interests and assessments. He described the allegations as uncredible and stressed that further escalation was not in the interest of any party. Baqaei also reiterated Iran’s readiness to use its diplomatic channels to help end the hostilities between the two sides. The denial came a day after Saudi officials accused Tehran of encouraging the Houthis to intensify their attacks on the kingdom. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition said its forces had intercepted and destroyed three drones in southern Saudi Arabia and near Riyadh, along with two cruise missiles over the Red Sea. The coalition also reported intercepting a ballistic missile over Yanbu, a Red Sea coastal city that serves as the terminus of a major oil pipeline. Houthi attacks have intensified since the group launched an offensive in Yemen in September, seizing strategic areas along the Red Sea coast. The Saudi-led coalition has supported Yemen’s internationally recognised government for more than a decade. The latest attacks have increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, as global energy markets remain unsettled amid the wider Middle East conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran in February.