Iran Reiterates Support for War-Wracked Yemen

Date: 14 March 2023 - 21:51

News ID: ۱۱۳۳۹۷

TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign
Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian says the Islamic Republic supports intra-Yemeni talks to find a political solution to the crisis in the war-wracked Arab country.
In a meeting with United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian reaffirmed Tehran’s support for the continuation of the ceasefire and the end of the Saudi-led blockade on Yemen.
He emphasized that Iran supports any dialogue which would help promote peace and stability in Yemen.
The top Iranian diplomat also commended efforts by the UN secretary general and his appointment of a special envoy in order to follow up on the situation in Yemen.
The UN special envoy, for his part, called for Iran’s support for the world body’s efforts to promote peace in Yemen.
Grundberg expressed the UN’s firm determination to find a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia and its allies launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 with armed and logistical support from their Western partners, leaving hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead.
The war also displaced millions of people, rendering them homeless, while destroying the country’s infrastructure and spawning the contemporary age’s worst humanitarian catastrophe.
The most recent truce, which began in April 2022, had rekindled hopes of peace, but the Saudi-led coalition breached the terms of the ceasefire agreement, prompting Yemenis to continue resistance.
In the wake of a rapidly worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen, the United Nations said late last month that it needed $4.3 billion this year to help millions of people in the war-wracked country, warning that failure to deliver the aid will put them at risk.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Monaday hailed a recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore relations after seven years of estrangement.
He made the remark in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, Hussein Amir-Abdollahian.
After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia finally clinched a deal on Friday to restore diplomatic relations and re-open embassies and missions within two months.
According to the statement, Iran and Saudi Arabia highlighted the need to respect each others’ national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.
Iran, Saudi Arabia and China expressed their firm determination to make their utmost efforts to promote regional and international peace and security, it emphasized.
The two foreign ministers also discussed the implementation of

long-term cooperation agreements signed between Tehran and Moscow.

The top Iranian and Russian diplomats also touched on the forthcoming meeting among Iran, Russia, Turkey and Syria, which is aimed at facilitating resolution of the existing problems between Syria and its northern neighbor, Turkey.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently announced that the Syrian, Turkish, and Russian foreign ministers would be holding a meeting in line with the countries’ collective efforts to address existing disputes between Damascus and Ankara.

The Turkish chief executive said the countries’ heads of state would be joining the talks too if the need arises.

Lavrov has also called it “reasonable” for Iran to join in mediating the talks between Syria and Turkey alongside Moscow, TASS news agency reported.

In an interview with Russia’s TASS in February, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali said the Islamic Republic will be joining trilateral talks among Syria, Turkey, and Russia that will be aimed at the potential resolution of standing differences between Damascus and Ankara.