Tehran, May 8, IRNA � Iranian Health Minister Seyed Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi in a letter to the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Margaret Chan on Friday blasted Saudi Arabia for blocking Iran's medical aid to Yemen, and called on the international body to take wise decisions to immediately prevent the breakout of human catastrophe in the Arab country.

'It goes without saying that all influential international organizations, including the WHO, are entitled to prevent the spread of crisis through taking wise decisions and fulfilling their responsibilities as well as doing their best to assuage the pains of the oppressed Yemeni people,' part of the Iranian health minister's letter read.

'As you are aware it is for a while that Yemen has been the target of heavy attacks, specially the airstrikes that have inflicted serious damage to the infrastructures of that country, specially the healthcare infrastructures and resulted in considerable human losses while prevention of aid operations and disruption in the supply of pharmaceutical, health and medical needs in the affected areas has deteriorated the situation,' the letter said.

The Iranian health minister pointed to the lack of sufficient healthcare services and the possible outbreak of contagious diseases as well as shortage of medicine and ambulance, given the high number of injured people, as important problems facing Yemen's health system today, and urged the WHO to take action and rush to the Yemeni people's aid, Fars news agency reported.

Earlier Friday, a senior official announced that the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) will send a ship with a relief aid cargo to Yemen on Saturday.

'A ship carrying Iran's pharmaceutical aid will be dispatched to Yemen tomorrow,' Supreme Leader's Representative at IRCS said at a pre-sermon speech of Tehran's Friday prayers.

The IRCS has been trying to dispatch humanitarian aid to Yemen through sea and air, but was unable to do so due to Saudi Arabia's blockade of the war-ravaged country.

Late in April, Saudi jet fighters shooed away three Iranian cargo planes from Yemen's airspace. But in the third case they bombed the Sana'a airport control tower and runway seven times to prevent the Iranian defying pilot from landing. The Iranian civilian plane was carrying humanitarian aids, including medical equipment, for the Yemeni people who have been under the Saudi-led airstrikes for over a month now. The cargo plane was due to take humanitarian aid to Yemen and take several critically wounded civilians back to Tehran to receive specialized medical treatment.

Iran had earlier sent five consignments of humanitarian aid to Yemen, including a total of 69 tons of relief, medical, treatment, and consumer items

Last month, Head of the Yemeni Red Crescent Society Mohammad Ahmad al-Kebab in a letter to his Iranian counterpart Seyed Amir Mohsen Ziayee thanked Iran for the recent humanitarian and medical aid cargoes sent to his country.

'I appreciate the unsparing help and relief operations as well as the humanitarian attempts of the Iran Red Crescent Society (IRCS),' al-Kebab said in his letter.

He expressed the hope that interactions and mutual cooperation between the two countries' Red Crescent societies would increase in future.

But late in April, the IRCS blasted Saudi Arabia for blocking Iran's humanitarian aids to Yemen.

'The IRCS humanitarian aid consignments are ready to be dispatched to Yemen, but unfortunately Saudi Arabia prevents their delivery to Yemen,' Shahabeddin Mohammadi Araqi, IRCS deputy managing director for international and humanitarian affairs, said.

Mohammadi Araqi described the Yemeni people's conditions as critical, and said, 'We are in contact with Yemen's Red Crescent Society and Health Ministry and have included their needs in the new consignment.'

He lamented that planes and ships are not allowed into Yemen's ports and airports, and said, 'Unfortunately, the Saudi government has prevented the dispatch of aids to Yemen.'

By IRNA