Saudi Arabia has reportedly offered Yemen's Houthi group $1 billion as part of an Iran-brokered deal to secure a ceasefire and halt attacks on the kingdom, according to Israeli media reports citing Gulf diplomatic sources. The reported offer, first published by Israel Hayom, has set off a fresh debate about how far Riyadh will go to end a conflict that has hammered its airports, oil facilities and shipping lanes.
What the reports say
According to the reports, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman travelled to Tehran for talks aimed at securing a ceasefire with the Houthis, with the proposed arrangement involving the transfer of $1 billion to the group through Iran. One diplomatic source claimed the minister had even brought the money aboard the Hercules military transport aircraft on which he arrived in Tehran. A Saudi official did not confirm that any money had been transferred, the reports said.
The talks reportedly brought together Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, alongside Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Supreme National Security Council secretary general Mohsen Rezaei and senior officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran, the reports say, offered to mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis as attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities inflicted economic damage on the kingdom.
What Riyadh actually confirmed
Saudi Arabia confirmed the visit but not the money. In an official statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the visit to Tehran by Prince Khalid bin Salman and representatives of the Mecca Joint Defence Alliance came "as part of the alliance's ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions between the parties to the current crisis, encourage dialogue and diplomatic solutions, and support the mediation efforts undertaken by the State of Qatar and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan."
A Saudi official told Israeli media that part of the dispute with the Houthis concerned the implementation of understandings reached around three years ago. Under those understandings, Saudi financial aid would help pay public-sector salaries and rebuild infrastructure in Houthi-controlled areas, in exchange for the group upholding a ceasefire. The Houthis, for their part, have accused Riyadh of failing to honour those earlier commitments.
Why it matters
The stakes go well beyond Yemen. Houthi strikes on Saudi infrastructure and Iranian disruptions to tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz have constrained regional oil exports, and a ceasefire could help Riyadh restore disrupted production. At the same time, Riyadh has publicly maintained it will not submit to military pressure, and the $1 billion claim remains unverified, based on unnamed sources, with no confirmation that the Houthis have accepted any proposal.
Whether the reported offer is a genuine breakthrough or a negotiating leak, it signals that the region's most powerful players are now talking directly, in Tehran, about ending a war that has cost the kingdom dearly. The next clue will be whether the attacks stop.
Watch: Mirror Now reports on the alleged $1 billion Saudi offer to the Houthis through Iran
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Sources: NDTV, The Economic Times, The Tribune