U.S. says no evidence Iran backs Yemen rebels

A U.S. official said on Friday he had no proof that Iran is supporting Shi'ite rebels who have seized some Saudi territory, a position at odds with a Yemeni claim that the rebellion has Iranian backing. "Many of our friends and partners have talked to us about the possibility of outside support to the Houthis (rebels) and we have heard the theories about Iranian support to the Houthis," U.S. Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman told a regional security conference in Bahrain. "To be frank, we don't have independent information about this," he said. The conflict in northern Yemen drew in Sunni Muslim neighbour Saudi Arabia last month when the rebels, known as the Houthis after their leader's clan, seized some Saudi territory, prompting Riyadh to launch a military offensive against them.