Iran FM urges more effective, resolute international action on Yemen war

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned about the deteriorating and worrisome situation in Yemen, urging the international community to play a more effective and decisive role to end the “silly” Saudi war on the impoverished country.

News ID: 434763

Date: 13 November 2017 - 23:59

RNA - “The international community is duty-bound to intervene in the Yemeni crisis in a more effective and resolute way, end this silly war, establish a ceasefire, guarantee the distribution of humanitarian aid and restore peace and calm to this country through dialog and national reconciliation without any precondition,” Zarif said in a letter to Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres on Monday.

He added that the Saudi aggression against Yemen over more than 30 months has resulted in nothing but the death of thousands of innocent people, particularly women and children, the destruction of infrastructures and civil buildings such as hospitals, schools, roads and power plants as well as the deprivation of the Yemenis of their basic needs.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that moves to prevent the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people and cut off air, ground and naval routes have deeply intensified the humanitarian catastrophe in the country.

“Since the outset of this crisis, the Islamic Republic of Iran has emphasized that the only way to restore peace and stability is to allow all the Yemeni sides to establish their preferred national unity government without any foreign interference,” Zarif said.

The Iranian foreign minister stressed the importance of taking four steps to help end the “humanitarian nightmare” in Yemen, including the declaration of a ceasefire and an immediate end to military operations, the provision of free access to Yemeni people to humanitarian and health aid, the resumption of national dialog with the participation of representatives from all sides and the establishment of the national unity government.

Since March 2015, the Saudi regime has been heavily bombarding Yemen as part of a brutal campaign against its impoverished southern neighbor in an attempt to reinstall Yemen’s former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, and crush the Houthi movement, which is in control of large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a. The Saudi campaign, however, has failed to achieve its goals.

Since the onset of the brutal war, Ansarullah, the national army and popular groups have joined forces to defend the country against the Saudi aggression. Over the past two years, the Houthis have also been running the state affairs.

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