Iranian Official: UAE Reconsidering Yemen Policies
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi hailed the United Arab Emirates’ decision to rethink its harsh policy on Yemen, saying Abu Dhabi is willing to have contact with Tehran over the Persian Gulf issues.
Asked about the reports of a visit to Tehran by an Emirati delegation for talks with Iranian officials, Vaezi told journalist on the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday, “The UAE is reconsidering its tough policy on Yemen, changing the formation of its (military) forces in that country (Yemen), and creating a slight shift in its attitudes from those of Saudi Arabia towards Yemen.”
Citing Abu Dhabi’s concerns about the Persian Gulf security, the Iranian official added, “The UAE is willing to get in touch with Iran in this regard with a series of methods.”
Earlier in May, Zarif had voiced Iran’s readiness to maintain good relations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and their allies.
Highlighting Iran’s close relations with Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, Zarif had told reporters at the Asian Cooperation Dialogue in Doha, "We hope to have the same type of relations with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates."
On July 12, the Houthi Ansarullah movement said the United Arab Emirates has apparently withdrawn its military forces from certain parts of Yemen.
The UAE is a main member of a Saudi-led military coalition that has been pounding Yemen for over four years.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly 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.
Official UN figures say that more than 15,000 people have been killed in Yemen since the Saudi-led bombing campaign began.
The Saudi war has impacted over seven million children in Yemen who now face a serious threat of famine, according to UNICEF figures. Over 6,000 children have either been killed or sustained serious injuries since 2015, UN children’s agency said. The humanitarian situation in the country has also been exacerbated by outbreaks of cholera, polio, and measles.