Iran hits back at US over Yemen war accusation
Zarif, Guterres stress end to Saudi aggression
Iran on Wednesday dismissed US allegations that Tehran has been stoking war in Yemen, saying Washington should be held accountable for six years of crimes against Yemenis and its arms sales to the Saudi-led coalition.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh rejected the accusations by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying: “The Americans, who must be held accountable for their crimes in Yemen for six years, cannot make groundless accusations against others as a plaintiff,” Tasnim reported.
Blinken on Tuesday accused Iran of involvement in Yemen, fanning “the flames of the conflict, threatening greater escalation, miscalculation, and regional instability.”
In response, the Iranian spokesperson said the aggressors on Yemen are trying to pin the blame for their crimes on others and divert the public opinion after realizing that their “anti-human military strategy” has been defeated by Yemen’s resistance after six years of massacring the Yemeni people, destroying the Arab country’s infrastructures and selling arms to the Saudi-led military coalition in “blood trade”.
Khatibzadeh also decried the new US administration’s failure to take a practical measure to end the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen, saying it is repeating its predecessor’s mistake of leveling baseless accusations and ignoring the realities on the ground.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s stances have been clear since the outset of the Yemen war, as we have always emphasized that there is no military solution to the crisis in Yemen,” he added.
A four-article proposal put forward by Iran is still a basic solution for the settlement of crisis in Yemen, the spokesman underlined, highlighting Tehran’s support for the UN efforts to ensure peace and resolve the conflicts in Yemen.
Call for ending war
Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and United Nations Secretary-general Antonio Guterres called for the start of peace talks in Yemen in order to put an end to the protracted Saudiled aggression and blockade against the war-ravaged country.
In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Zarif and Guterres discussed the latest steps taken by the United Nations to end the war and restore peace in Yemen as well as efforts to start dialogue among all political parties in the country, Press TV wrote.
The UN chief called for the continuation of the prominent efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran in helping to establish peace in Yemen.
Zarif expressed Iran’s support for the UN’S efforts to restore peace in Yemen, and stressed the need for an end to the Saudi war of aggression, lifting the blockade and providing humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people.
The top Iranian diplomat also expressed hope for the establishment of peace and stability in Yemen through holding intra-yemeni talks and forming an inclusive government.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing a former government back to power and crushing the Ansarullah movement.
According to the United Nations, 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million people need some form of aid or protection. About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity.
According to the latest figures released by the UN in December last year, over 230,000 people have been killed since the onset of the Saudi-led war.
Yemeni armed forces and allied popular groups, led by the Houthi Ansarullah movement, have gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and successfully defended Yemen against the aggression, leaving Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.
More hunger
In a related development on Tuesday, aid groups warned of worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen after a UN appeal for more funds for the war-torn country fell short of reaching its goal.
Guterres has appealed for $3.85 billion this year to address the impoverished Arab country’s dire needs but despite repeated warnings that a large-scale famine is looming, the amount raised is about $1.7 billion.
The UN chief has warned that “cutting aid is a death sentence,” calling for countries to reconsider their positions and help “stave off the worst famine the world has seen in decades.”
Reacting to the aid shortfall, the International Rescue Committee said Yemeni people’s lives are at stake and that funds are crucial for delivering life-saving assistance on a large scale.
The Save the Children charity said over the past year, some nine million people received half the rations they were granted compared to 2019.
The International Organization for Migration’s program in Yemen also said it was only 50-percent funded last year. The agency said the reduction forced it to cut support to health care facilities serving large numbers of displaced people.