Saudi-Led Aggression against Yemen to Increase Extremism: Iran Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen would lead to increased extremism and terrorism in the region, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for African and Middle Eastern Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned, and calling for a halt to any military attack against Sana’a.
Amir Abdollahian held a Tuesday meeting with Qatar’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Muhammad al-Atiyah on the sidelines of the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait.
At the meeting, the Iranian official referred to Saudi attack on Yemen as a “strategic mistake”, adding, “Such moves would make regional conditions more complicated, and would not help resolve the problems of Yemen.”
“Creating insecurity in the region would increase extremism and terrorism,” he stressed, reiterating that any military operation against Yemen must be stopped.
Amir Abdollahian once again underscored “political solution” as the only way out of the problems in Yemen, and called on all Yemeni parties and political groups to return the negotiating table based on previous agreements.
Qatari minister, for his part, described regional conditions as “very difficult and complicated”, and urged regional dialog as an effort to resolve the issue.
“The region needs peace,” al-Atiyah said, asking all regional countries to start their negotiations as soon as possible.
Their comments came after a Monday airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 40 people and wounded about 200 at al-Mazraq camp, which houses about 5,000 people and was established in 2001 by the United Nations in Hajjah province to accommodate Yemenis displaced from the capital, Sana’a.
Since March 26, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have begun to militarily interfere in Yemen's internal affairs by launching deadly air strikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
