Iran�s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has criticized the UN Security Council for pursuing discriminatory and unprincipled approaches to conflicts in the Middle East, particularly in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

�The situation in the region is very sensitive and complicated and the West Asian and Central Asian countries are faced with terrorist and extremist threats more than others,� Zarif said in a Monday meeting with Secretary General of the Austrian Ministry of European and International Affairs Michael Linhart.

The Iranian foreign minister also slammed the international inaction on the "catastrophe" unfolding�in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 -- without a UN mandate -- in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which currently controls the capital, Sana�a, and other major provinces, and to restore power to Yemen�s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.

According to the UN, since March, nearly 2,000 people have been killed and 7,330 injured due to the conflict in Yemen.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says the Saudi aggression against Yemen has claimed the lives of more than 130 children over the past two months.

Zarif further called on Middle Eastern and European countries to forge closer cooperation in order to counter the growing danger of terrorism and common threats.

He also highlighted the significance of Tehran-Vienna ties and said there is no obstacle to the expansion of relations in various political, economic, parliamentary and cultural fields.

Europe�s serious concerns about terrorism

Linhart, for his part, said very serious threats by terrorist and extremist groups have raised more concerns among European countries.

He added that European states�are determined to adopt a common stance and make joint efforts to play a more effective role in countering terrorism.

The Austrian official also expressed his country�s political will to work closely with Iran in the fields of the environment, science and technology, economy, energy and culture.

By Press TV