Iran Urges Immediate End to War in Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday called for an immediate halt to aggression, fighting and bloodshed in Yemen and urged efforts to start a political process for formation of a national unity government in the Arab country.
In a statement released on the anniversary of the start of a Saudi-led coalition’s war against Yemen, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the “blatant aggression” and the conflicts that have brought about deaths, famine and starvation.
In two years since the start of the aggression and destructive war against Yemen, as international bodies have admitted, thousands of women and children have been killed, more than 18 million Yemenis have become dependent on humanitarian aid, and 8 million people, including children, are suffering from malnutrition and hunger, it said.
Deliberate destruction of this impoverished country’s infrastructure with the fictitious slogan of “bringing back hope” and constant bombing of hospitals and education centers are among other outcomes of this unjust war, the statement added.
It noted that the war has prepared the ground for the growth of terrorist groups’ activities in different parts of Yemen, a fact that threatens international peace, stability and security.
The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates the need for implementing the four-point Yemen peace plan Tehran submitted to the UN in 2015, which urges an end to conflicts, sending humanitarian aid, lifting the unjust blockade of Yemen, and launch of political dialogue with the aim of formation of a national unity government, it said.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry went on to invite the international community to step up efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people of Yemen, especially women and children.
Since March 25, 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.
Yemen’s Legal Center of Rights and Development announced on Saturday that the Saudi campaign has claimed the lives of over 12,040 Yemenis and left more than 20,000 others wounded.
The center added that there were a total of 2,568 children and 1,870 women among the fatalities, noting that the atrocious onslaught had also destroyed 757 schools and institutes, 111 university facilities, 271 factories besides 1,520 bridges and roads.