SANAA (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Ambassador to Sana’a Hassan Irlu said Sunday the Islamic Republic and Yemen are main allies in the resistance front, vowing Tehran’s full support for the war-ravaged country until the establishment of inclusive peace.
In a meeting with Yemeni Prime Minister Abdulaziz Saleh bin Habtoor, the Iranian envoy commended great steadfastness and resistance of the Yemeni people against the Saudi-led campaign over the past seven years.
Pointing to historical and brotherly relations between the two countries, Irlu said, “Iran will continue to support the Yemeni cause until just and inclusive peace is established.”
He added that Yemen has been a target for the plots hatched by the Western colonialist countries and their allies in view of its “strategic position” and “natural resources.”
The Iranian envoy noted that the epic resistance of the Yemeni people in the face of seven years of aggression and blockade is a miracle of which the children of the Arab and Islamic Ummah are proud.
“In addition to political support, Iran will make efforts to end aggression, establish peace and promote political negotiations to support Yemen in various fields, including in education and economic sectors, and will also provide humanitarian support and meet the needs of the Yemeni people in such areas as health care and public services,” the Iranian diplomat said.
The Yemeni prime minister said positive results of the approach adopted by the resistance front would serve the interests of all regional nations and influence leading issues in the region.
He criticized the move by some Arab and Muslim countries to normalize ties with Israel and stressed the importance of continuing resistance and remaining united in the face of the U.S. plots in the region, including the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime.
Habtoor praised Iran’s stance on brutal aggression against Yemen and its support for the Yemeni people under the current critical circumstances.
He added that Iran’s remarkable progress in scientific, economic and infrastructure fields is a source of pride for all the free nations in the world.
During the meeting, the Iranian ambassador and Yemeni premier also discussed prospects for cooperation and ways to strengthen it in various political, cultural and media fields in line with the distinguished brotherly relations between the Yemeni and Iranian peoples.
Saudi Arabia, backed by the U.S. and regional allies, launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.
Yemeni armed forces and allied Popular Committees have, however, gone from strength to strength against the invaders, and left Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.
The Saudi war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead, and displaced millions more. The war has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases across the country.
The Saudi-led coalition has imposed a crippling siege on Yemen, from land, air, and sea.
The blockade includes the closure of the port of Hudaydah, which is a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. The invading forces have seized vessels carrying fuel and prevented them from entering the port.
In a meeting in Tehran in 2019 with the visiting delegation from Ansarullah, led by Abdul-Salam, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned that the Saudi regime and the United Arab Emirates are after partitioning the war-torn Arab country, calling for strong resistance in the face of that plot.
The Leader said the Saudis, the Emiratis and their supporters, who have perpetrated great crimes in Yemen, are after “disintegrating Yemen, a plot that should be confronted decisively,” adding, however, that the scheme is doomed to failure.