Since the beginning of the crisis in Yemen and the start of the illegal attacks on the country, the Islamic Republic of Iran has explicitly announced that the Yemeni [crisis] cannot be settled militarilyand that these attacks will have no outcome but the killing of defenseless people, Zarif said at a joint press conference with South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane in Tehran on Monday.
He pointed to Irans proposed four-point peace plan onYemen which included an immediate and full ceasefire, the dispatch of humanitarian aid to the Yemeni people, the necessity for intra-Yemeni talks and the establishment of a broad-based government that pursues positive relations with all its neighboring states.
The Iranian foreign minister added that Saudi Arabias unacceptable move to prevent the delivery of relief aid to Yemen runs counter to international humanitarian laws and stressed the importance of preparing the ground for sending aid to the Yemenis.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="550"]
Yemeni men run for cover as smoke billows following reported airstrikes on the residence of Yemen's former president Ali Abdullah Saleh on May 10, 2015, in the capital, Sanaa. AFP[/caption]In a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on April 17, the Iranian foreign minister submitted a four-point peace plan onYemen in an attempt to end the bloodshed in the Arab country.
Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 - without a UN mandate - in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to Yemens fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.
According to the latest UN figures, the Saudi military campaign has so far claimed the lives of over 1,400 people and injured close to 6,000 others, roughly half of whom have been civilians.
Saudi Arabia has been blocking the delivery of relief supplies to the war-stricken people of Yemen in defiance of calls by international aid groups.
Zarif also threw Irans weight behind the establishment of a ceasefire in Yemen, saying, We support any truce and an end to the military operation, which only victimizes women and Yemen.
He added that a permanent ceasefire should be put in placein Yemen and negotiations should be immediately held to create a broad-based government in the Arab state.
At a press conference with the US secretary of state in Riyadh on May 7, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced plans for a five-day ceasefire in Riyadhs war on Yemen ostensiblyaimed atfacilitating humanitarian aid to people in the impoverished Arab state. But since then, the impoverished Arab country has been hit unabated by Saudi air strikes.
The Yemeni army on Sunday agreed to Saudi Arabias proposal to halt its military attacks against Yemen.
Earlier in the day, the Ansarullah fighters of the Houthi movement also voiced their readiness to deal positively with any efforts, calls or measures that would help end the suffering.
By Press TV
