Yemen factor in İran and Saudi Arabia power struggle

Yemen, which is located in one of the strategic points of the Arabian Peninsula and has a fragile structure, has today been the scene of a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The ongoing geopolitical and ideological struggle on Yemeni soil has deepened with popular movements that began in 2011 in parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Unlike Riyadh, which pursued a status quo foreign policy, Tehran pursued a revisionist policy in foreign policy and escalated its power struggle with Riyadh after the Arab Spring. Rivalry and mutual hostility between Riyadh and Tehran have led to Yemen's plunge into civil war. Due to the intervention of the two regional powers, despite all the dialogue initiatives and peace talks of the UN and other global powers, the political impasse was not possible. Of course, in addition to Riyadh and Tehran's power struggle, internal dynamics in Yemen have deepened the fault lines of the conflict. In fact, internal dynamics have invited the intervention of regional powers. In this respect, Iran intervened through the Houthis as the brother of the Shiites using soft power elements, while Saudi Arabia intervened in the conflict through the legitimate government by pursuing a interfering policy within the framework of the elements of hard power. Thus, Riyadh and Tehran tried to balance each other through proxy groups. The crisis evolved into a simple power struggle and civil war and a proxy war. At times, Riyadh and Tehran pursued sectarian policies for their benefit, escalating tensions between Shia and Sunni. Finally, it would not be right to talk about a clear picture of how long the power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia will last and what gains it will make, and which way Yemen's future will evolve. Keywords: Power Struggle, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen