DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran's top diplomat to Yemen died on Tuesday after reportedly contracting the coronavirus, the country's state TV said.

The death of Ambassador Hassan Irloo came after he was recalled from war-torn Yemen for what Iran described as medical treatment.

State-run media in Iran said he had become infected with the virus in Yemen, where a war between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led military coalition has raged for six years.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Irloo was being removed from his post over growing strains between Iran and the Houthis, who hold Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.

The U.S. State Department under then-President Donald Trump had described Irloo as a member of Iran's powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.