It remains unclear whether the talks in September will result in a meaningful cease-fire or set the stage for a political solution involving power sharing. Diplomats and U.N. officials said that it appeared that both Iran and Saudi Arabia were prepared for the warring factions to make concessions as prospects of a military victory by either side have dimmed.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Council that Yemen’s conflict had hit "a new sense of urgency” and condemned Iran for backing the Houthis.

"Civilians are at risk, infrastructure is at risk and we as the international community have to demand that the two parties come together and understand the seriousness of this,” Ms. Haley said.

At the Council meeting on Thursday, the U.N.’s humanitarian agency painted a dire picture of the conflict in Yemen, saying: 22 million people require assistance; 2 million are displaced and 8.4 million don’t know where their next meal will come from.

As diplomats discussed the cease-fire talks, violence continued in Yemen. At least 28 people were killed and 70 wounded along the country’s west coast in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition near a hospital situated near a popular fish market, the Associated Press reported, quoting Yemeni medical officials.