Can Iran prevent a wider war between the US and Houthis?

Well, joining us from Washington, D.C. is Trita Parsi. He is the executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Thank you very much for your time. Can I ask you then, why do you think Iran has offered to mediate and what is in it for them? Tehran has good reasons to try to help prevent this situation from getting further out of control because it is faced with its own conflict with the United States that Israel and the United States started back in February. Within that context, there has been a process in which we have seen that the escalation thus far has been rather calculated and calibrated on all sides. But if we have this new front being formed, there is a risk that escalation will get out of control, and that could also be bad for Iran. So, for instance, in the memorandum of understanding that the U.S. and Iran signed, the first paragraph said that there would be a regional ceasefire. Back then, it was mostly referring to Lebanon. But today, that would also then include Yemen. And it's not clear whether the Iranians have sufficient leverage to pressure the Houthis into a ceasefire if the Houthis do not get what they're looking for, which is a lifting of the blockade. So, in some ways, even though Iran is benefiting from the manner in which the Houthis can put additional pressure on the oil market, for instance, they're also worried about the situation getting out of control. Well obviously Iran has often been accused as being backing the Houthis. How likely do you think then the Houthis will actually listen to Tehran because at the moment as you pointed out it seems like both sides are chasing different goals and different objectives. The Iranians have undoubtedly been supportive of Ansarullah the Houthis in Yemen however it's very clear they are not a proxy they are independent there are numerous instances in which the Iranians gave them advice or even strongly encouraged them to do something or not do something, and Ansarullah leadership decided to go in a different direction. And the U.S. government is well aware of this, having picked up that intelligence. So describing them as some sort of a proxy that will do whatever the Iranians want them to do is incorrect. And this is, again, part of the reason why there is a bit of a concern on the Iranian side that this could get out of control in a manner that would not be beneficial to Tehran. And what tools do you think then Iran has at its disposal? Well, the question here is who else has better tools at the end of the day? The Iranians do have a relationship with Ansar Allah. They have a degree of leverage based on the information and other types of support that they've provided them, but they do not control them. But there's no one else in the region or outside of the region that has a better ability to be able to put pressure on the Houthis within a larger agreement. And this is part of what happened with the Saudi-Iranian normalization that was mediated first by the Iraqis and the Omanis. And later on, the Chinese came in and helped bring it across the finishing line. And that's that agreement led to the ceasefire that lasted up until the Saudis decided to start bombing the airport in Sana'a again a couple of months ago. I'm going to tap into the fact that you're speaking to us there from the U.S. Has there been any indication then from the White House or Pentagon if Trump will now get involved and support Saudi Arabia, given that he had previously said he wouldn't? One American was killed in Saturday's attack. The Trump administration has given conflicting indications when it comes to this. But if the administration is looking for a much larger escalation against Iran after the midterm elections, and there's much that indicates that that is what Trump is considering right now. then using Saudi airspace is going to be of extreme importance to the United States and the Saudis have not allowed the U.S. to use it in the last round of the war but in a deal in which the United States would come in and help the Saudis against the Houthis the Saudis may agree to such an arrangement with the United States of allowing them to use its airspace against Iran so it all depends on what happens between Saudi Arabia and the United States but it doesn't appear as if the administration has any desire to rush into this. But if it can be helpful as part of a larger effort that the administration is looking at to restart the war, but on a larger scale, then we may very well end up seeing the United States getting involved in this theater as well. In the meantime, going back to the U.S.-Iran war, which is currently going on, what's your assessment of the current situation there? Because the U.S. says the Strait is open, Tehran says it's closed. Meanwhile, a third U.S. carrier has been deployed to the waters. what's your views on this? I think we have to take a lot of what the administration is saying with a grain of salt. Undoubtedly, the Strait is more open than it was before. It is not at where it was before the war, of course, but also there's another element that has to be added to the picture. At what cost? The United States is spending a tremendous amount of resources right now, escorting ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, and it is simply not sustainable for the U.S. military to continue to do this. So even if it's temporarily open, it does not mean that it's open. It does not mean that the Strait of Hormuz conflict is over with. And it does not mean in any way, shape or form that we have reached some sort of a plateau or pause in this war. What we're seeing right now is just this calm before the storm because of the midterm elections. Trita Parsi, thank you very much for your time.