TEHRAN -- Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran supports the current ongoing ceasefire in Yemen, calling it a po- tential precursor to establishment of sustainable peace in the war- battered country.

The top diplomat made the re-

marks here during a meeting with Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman of Yemen’s Ansarul- lah popular resistance move- ment, who has travelled to the Islamic Republic to meet with senior Iranian officials.

Amir-Abdollahian laid emphasis on the existence of a profound and historical relationship between Iran and Yemen, saying, “The Islamic Republic has invariably voiced its support for the Yemeni people’s demands and will.”

The official also expressed hope for complete elimination of a siege that Saudi Arabia and its allies have been enforcing against the Arab world’s poorest nation since 2015.

The Saudi kingdom launched a devastating war on Yemen in March that year in collaboration with its Arab allies and with arms, logistical, and political support from the United States and other Western states.
The objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of former Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, and crush Ansarullah, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a functional government.
While the Saudi-led coalition has failed to meet any of its objectives, the war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
A United Nations-brokered truce came into force in April between the coalition and Ansarullah. The truce has been extended twice ever since.
Abdul-Salam, for his part, expressed gratitude towards the Islamic Republic for its support for the Yemeni people, briefing the Iranian foreign minister on the latest developments that had taken place in his country.
The Yemeni official criticized the Saudi-led coalition for its insufficient implementation of the main components of the ceasefire.
He considered the coalition’s respect for the humanitarian issues in Yemen to be crucial to advancement of just peace in the violence-weary country.