Diplomatic sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that UN Special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths failed to arrange a second visit to the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, after postponing his first one, scheduled last month near the killing of Saleh al-Sammad, head of the Supreme Political Council, in a Saudi-led coalition air strike. “Griffiths received signs expressing a stringent Houthi position from the political process in Yemen because of Irans obstinacy and interference,” the sources said. They added that the UN envoy has been waiting for the past two weeks to receive the Houthis’ approval on his visit to Sana’a. Currently, Griffiths is only scheduled to meet with Houthi representative Mohamed Abdel Salam and the rebels’ spokesperson, who have been in Muscat since January. Informed sources explained that Griffiths’ visit was postponed due to the appointment of Mahdi al-Mashat as acting chairman of the Supreme Political Council. Al-Mashat is known for his extremist positions and for his personal and direct connection with the rebels’ chief Abdul Malek Al Houthi. The man is also close to Iran, where members of the Revolutionary Guards trained him. Earlier, Yemeni officials reported that al-Mashat played a role during talks in the Swiss city of Biel and in Kuwait and he had monitored the movements of the Houthi delegation. They believe the man was behind foiling all efforts to reach agreement during previous peace talks. Yemeni political analyst Najib Gulab told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday that a dispute emerged in the lineup of the Yemeni talks after Houthis tried to control all paths of the negotiations and to isolate the General People’s Congress from the peace operation. “The killing of Sammad and the intra-Houthi dispute in Sana’a had also contributed in creating confusion among the rebels,” he said.