Iran Concerned about Yemen’s Deteriorating Situation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian deputy foreign minister voiced concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen under unrelenting strikes by a Saudi-led military campaign, urging the UN’s push for finding a way to stop the war in the Arab country.
In a telephone conversation on Saturday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed conferred on the latest developments in Yemen.
“The humanitarian situation in Yemen is becoming more concerning day by day under the continued (Saudi-led) military attacks and their destructive effects,” the Iranian diplomat deplored.
He also voiced concern about the rise of terrorism in southern Yemen.
Amir Abdollahian then reaffirmed Iran’s support for Ould Sheikh Ahmed’s efforts, calling on the UN to intensify attempts at putting an end to the war on Yemen via a political solution.
For his part, the UN envoy hailed Iran’s fight against terrorism as well as its support for the political processes in Yemen and for peace negotiations among Yemeni groups.
He said a new round of efforts has begun for political talks on Yemen, expressing the hope for the resumption of the negotiations in the near future.
Previous UN-mediated negotiations to end the conflict through dialogue have failed as battles rage across Yemen and Saudi-led warplanes keep bombing Yemeni cities.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been launching deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
More than 8000 Yemenis, including many women and children, have died in the Saudi-led aggression so far.
