Iran Will Back Peace Initiatives Involving All Yemeni Groups: FM

"The Islamic Republic will support initiatives that bring all Yemeni groups to the negotiating table," Zarif said Thursday in a meeting with Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations' special envoy to Yemen.

He underlined that no one except Yemenis should be present in negotiations for peace in the Arabian Peninsula country.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian top diplomat expressed the hope that the United Nations and its secretary general would play an "independent and active" role in resolving Yemen’s crisis.

He also described the human tragedy and the continuation of aggression on Yemen as unacceptable.

The UN envoy, for his part, thanked Iran for its efforts to restore peace and stability to Yemen, especially Tehran's four-point plan to settle the Yemeni crisis.

In April, Zarif submitted a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlining a four-point peace plan for Yemen, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and end of all foreign military attacks, humanitarian assistance, a resumption of broad national dialogue and establishment of an inclusive national unity government.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ould Cheikh underlined the need for Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue with the participation of all Yemeni groups.

This comes as Saudi Arabia and its allies continue their airstrikes against Yemen.

On Thursday, Saudi fighter jets struck the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) headquarters in the Midi district of Yemen's northwestern province of Hajjah, located approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of the capital, Sana’a.

Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Yemen started on March 26 - without a UN mandate - in a bid to restore power to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The United Nations says, since March 19, over 1,800 people have been killed and 7,330 injured due to the conflict in Yemen, which was exacerbated by the Saudi airstrikes.