Study by Former Yemeni Foreign Minister: Stockholm Agreement Failure Exposed Western Strategic Errors, Yemen Became Iran’s Leverage

Aden – A comprehensive policy paper authored by former Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Alyemany argues that the Stockholm Agreement signed in December 2018 was not simply a failed diplomatic milestone but a turning point that revealed a decade of accumulated Western strategic miscalculations in handling Yemen and Iran.

Alyemany stressed that he speaks from direct responsibility and first-hand experience, as Yemen’s former foreign minister, chief negotiator of the internationally recognized government, and one of the signatories of the Stockholm Peace Agreement in December 2018. He explained that the experience later proved the agreement had become a model of failure for both Yemeni legitimacy and the international community in managing the conflict, noting that the United Nations itself failed to enforce its provisions or ensure Houthi compliance.

He emphasized that the agreement, which was supposed to open the door to ending the war, instead entrenched stalemate and gave the Houthis the opportunity to regroup, strengthen their capabilities, and expand their influence — with negative repercussions for Yemen, Red Sea security, and regional stability. He argued that lessons learned from this experience require a new international approach that is more realistic and firm in addressing the Yemeni file and the close link between the Houthis and Iran.

The report identified three levels of failure:

On the ground: Houthis never redeployed from Hodeidah and its ports, instead turning them into a strategic platform to threaten international shipping.

Humanitarian: aid corridors faced systematic looting and obstruction, with humanitarian workers arrested and tortured.

Financial: port revenues intended for salaries were diverted to fund the Houthi war effort.

The paper noted that the UN spent over $300 million on the Hodeidah mission with negligible results, while the Red Sea crisis has become “the bill for a decade of strategic errors,” reflected in a 50% drop in Suez Canal traffic and shipping costs rising to levels unseen since the COVID-19 pandemic.