Dr. Betül Doğan Akkaş political scientist and Gulf researcher Ankara University:.

Dr. Betül Doğan Akkaş political scientist and Gulf researcher Ankara University:.

Iran has lost a lot in the last two years. Instability, Khamenei's death, damaged Gulf relations... Only the Houthis remained.

But the Houthis consistently reject the proxy label. Their elites declared that they were a Yemeni group - not an extension of Iran.

But Iran wants to use the Houthis as a deterrent. This contradiction is the source of the friction between them.

Full interview