TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zar on Tuesday in a meeting with United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths said that war is not a solution to the crisis in Yemen, stressing that the Saudi-imposed blockade on the impoverished country must end.
The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the current situation in Yemen, which has exposed the people to a humanitarian catastrophe after six years of war, would only be resolved through a peaceful diplomatic approach.
The UN envoy, for his part, briefed the Iranian foreign minister on the outcome of his talks with relevant parties on the crisis.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies, including the United Arab Emirates, launched the campaign against Yemen in March 2015.
The Saudi-led campaign has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead, and displaced millions. It has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories.
The siege on Yemen includes the closure of Sana’a International Airport, which has made it almost impossible for food and medical supplies to reach the poor.
The Saudi-led coalition has also been enforcing a tight naval blockade on Yemen, particularly on Hudaydah, which acts as a lifeline for the impoverished nation, since August 2015, five months after it started the war.
Abdullah Abdullah, Iranian Diplomat Review Bilateral Ties, Afghan Peace Process

The Iranian foreign minister’s special envoy for Afghanistan Muhammad-Ebrahim Taherian and the head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) Abdullah Abdullah held phone talks on the country’s developments and the visit to Tehran of the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy on Afghanistan.
In phone call, Abdullah called for continued support for the country’s peace process.
Taherian, in turn, underlined Iran’s support for the Afghan peace process and efforts made within this framework.
He also stressed the necessity for further interaction among various fronts of the country in order to accelerate the achievement of peace.