Sputnik - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has once again refuted allegations that Iran provides weapons to the Houthi movement in Yemen to support its struggle against the government.



"We've never provided weapons to�Houthis. The Houthis use the weapons provided to�them by�Saudi Arabia� with�Saudi money buying weapons from�Russia, buying weapons from�China, and buying weapons from�North Korea� You are looking at�the wrong address if you ask Iran", Zarif said at�the Doha Forum in�Qatar.


At the same time, Zarif stressed that the�Saudi-led coalition's bombing of�Yemeni people was an obvious fact that needed no extra evidence.
"I don't need to�show any evidence about�the jets that are flying in�Yemen, bombing the Yemenis. Those are American-made jets, and those are Saudi fighters, I assume� There are facts about�US weapons, there are facts about�Saudi bombing", he said.


Saudi Arabia is interested in�increasing tensions in�the region, and the examples of�a blockade of�Qatar and the military operation in�Yemen prove that the minister stressed.
"Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia does not want to�reduce tensions. Actually, Saudi Arabia believes that it is in�its interest to�increase tensions. Look at�what they did with�Qatar. Look at�how they imprisoned the prime minister of�another country. Look at�what they are doing in�Yemen", Zarif said.


Yemen has been engulfed in�an armed conflict between�the government forces led by�President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and the Houthi rebels for�several years. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out�airstrikes against�the Houthis at�Hadi's request since�March 2015.

The fighting has recently intensified near�the Houthis-controlled city of�Hodeida, through�which the rebels receive humanitarian and commercial cargoes. The Yemeni government, in�turn, claims that the port city�is receiving weapons from�Iran.

On Thursday, the UN-mediated discussions on�Yemen in�Sweden between�the warring sides resulted in�an agreement to�cease hostilities and withdraw forces in�Hodeida. The parties agreed to�create a UN-chaired monitoring committee in�addition to�establishing humanitarian corridors to�the city of�Taiz. The sides also agreed to�exchange more than�4,000 war prisoners in�late January 2019.

Human Rights in�the Islamic Republic

Zarif also addressed the humanitarian aspect of�the situation in�Iran, stressing that Tehran decisively opposes human rights abuses.

"Obviously, everybody's record of�human right can be improved� Of course, our human rights record can be improved, of�course we have excesses, obviously, every country has excesses", the diplomat said.

The Iranian foreign minister stressed that Iranian citizens were on�whom the state relied for�the country's defence, prosperity, economic development and scientific achievements.

"We build our own weapons, these are the people who are building those weapons� So if it is a moral obligation for�someone to�observe human rights, for�us it is a matter of�national security. We make mistakes, people commit excesses, but�that does not mean that others are in�position to�give us lectures about�human rights," Zarif stressed.

Earlier in�the week, Iran has once again become a target of�criticism by�media and rights organizations over�the death of�Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, a jailed Iranian activist who was on�a hunger strike against�conditions of�his imprisonment and the absence of�legal assistance. The prosecutor-general of�the city of�Qom, where the activist was jailed, however, insisted that the deceased was suffering from�liver malfunction and died at�hospital.