Top Officer Denies Iran’s Naval Presence in Yemen Waters
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi rejected reports about the presence of Iranian military vessels in Yemen’s waters, saying they only patrol the international waters in the Gulf of Aden.
“Iranian naval fleet has not entered the Yemeni waters so far, but it’s on patrol in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden and the Sea of Oman on a planned military schedule,” Major General Firouzabadi said in a meeting with high-ranking military commanders on Tuesday.
He also condemned Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against people of Yemen, saying, “The Al Saud’s crimes against the Muslim, revolutionary and oppressed people of Yemen, who call for independence and Islamic democracy, are very serious and deserve harsh punishment.”
The top general also took a swipe at Saudis for blocking humanitarian aid planes from landing in Yemen, saying such rude behavior should get an appropriate response.
Earlier in April, an Iranian plane carrying humanitarian goods for the war-torn people of Yemen was forced to return to Tehran after Saudi Arabia’s fighter jets refused the cargo plane landing in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia on March 26 launched a military campaign against Yemen with some its Arab allies. The coalition's justification for the air strikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement was to restore power to fugitive Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
Later on April 21, Saudis declared a halt to the month-long air campaign. But hours later, air strikes and ground fighting resumed and the International Red Cross described the humanitarian situation as "catastrophic."
