Yemen Rebels Meet U.S. Delegation in Oman

Oman is hosting unprecedented talks between delegations from the U.S. and Yemen's Shiite rebels aimed at finding a solution to the Yemen war, a Yemeni government spokesman said Sunday.

"The discussions between the Huthi (rebels) and the American delegation are being held at the request of the Americans," said Rajah Badi, spokesman of the Yemeni government exiled in Saudi Arabia.

The meeting is the first since a Saudi-led coalition launched an air war against the Huthis on March 26 to restore the legitimacy of Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Hadi and his government fled to Saudi Arabia after the Huthis challenged his authority and overran much of the country.

Oman is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and the only GCC member that has not joined the coalition air war.

The foreign minister of Iran, which Saudi Arabia accuses of arming the Huthis despite Tehran's repeated denials, held talks Tuesday in Oman about ending the conflict in Yemen.

"We discussed ways to send humanitarian aid, establish a ceasefire and start dialogue between the Yemeni groups," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Iranian state television from Muscat. 

Badi said the Shiite delegation arrived in Muscat several days ago "on a plane chartered by the Americans", adding that the talks are led by Saleh al-Sammad, who heads the Huthis' political bureau.

Unlike other Gulf states, Oman has good relations with Iran.

Muscat has hosted talks between Tehran and the West and mediated between Iran and Washington in prisoner releases.

Reports of the talks came as a U.S. State Department official said on Sunday that several Americans have been detained in Yemen, while media reports said four U.S. citizens were being held by Shiite rebels.

Meanwhile, the U.N. envoy for Yemen left Sanaa on Sunday after holding talks with senior leaders of the General People's Congress of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Huthis.

Special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, who is trying to get Yemen's warring factions to resume peace talks, is also expected to meet with Hadi and his government in Riyadh.

A bid by the U.N. to host peace talks in Geneva between Yemeni factions this week floundered.