TEHRAN (Tasnim) An Iranian deputy foreign minister voiced Tehran's preparedness to contribute to the United Nations humanitarian aid plan for the people of Yemen who have come under fierce air strikes by a Saudi-led military campaign since March 26.
In a telephone conversation on Sunday, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos discussed ways to deliver immediate humanitarian aid to war-torn Yemen.
The Iranian diplomat condemned the continued air strikes on civilian targets in Yemen, noting that Saudi Arabia's bombardment of the airports used for the delivery of humanitarian assistance is a flagrant violation of international laws and humanitarian rights.
Amir Abdollahian also noted that Iran is ready to make a series of humanitarian efforts in coordination with the UN in the impoverished Arab nation.
Iran can immediately send oil tankers to different Yemeni ports, dispatch medical teams and build three field hospitals in Yemen's Sana'a, Aden, Sa' dah or any other province the UN chooses, airlift consignments of medical and food aid to Yemen directly or through Djibouti, and help speed up the UN humanitarian plan by providing 2 cargo planes and 3 cargo ships, the Iranian diplomat explained.
He also voiced Tehran's readiness to host injured Yemeni people for treatment.
Amos, for her part, praised Iran's support for the UN humanitarian aid plan for Yemen.
While a Saudi-led coalition, backed by the US, has been conducting air strikes against the Houthi movement forces and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26, a five-day humanitarian ceasefire is expected to begin on Tuesday.
More than six weeks of deadly aerial attacks on Yemen have killed more than 3,500 people and left some 6,200 others injured.
The Saudi-led coalition, which seeks to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, includes eight other Arab states and is receiving logistical support from the US, Britain and France.
Saudi fighter jets have already refused Iranian aid planes landing in Sana'a.