The U.S. said on Sunday that there had been no U.S. troops sent to Yemen, nor does it plan to send troops, dismissing previous reports U.S. troops would arrive in the country in weeks to speed the training of counterterror forces.

The announcement was made by head of the State Department bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Fletman.

Days ago, reports surfaced the Pentagon was assigning more troops to Yemen as part of a broad push to speed the training of the country’s counterterrorism forces and help the already forces in Yemen build closer relationships with their Yemeni counterparts.

But there was no specific number given.

It is true that the U.S. is aiding Yemen to tackle al Qaeda, but the aid to Yemen is different from the U.S. aid going to the Maghreb countries, Feltman said.

The remarks were given during an interview with the London-based al Hayat Newspaper, and Feltman also denied that U.S. troops were involved in the war on terrorism in Yemen.

President Obama’s view on this was clear and our aim remains that the U.S. supports Yemen’s efforts to tackle its problems.

On accusations that Iran supported the Houthi rebels in the far north, the U.S. official said: We all know the fact that Iran plays a negative part in the region, meddling in others’ affairs and funding terrorist groups.

The U.S. seriously takes reports about Iranian involvement in Yemen’s conflict, he concluded.