TEHRAN – The Iranian president has raised concern with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the war-hit Yemen, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war in the country.

Hassan Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Foreign Minister of Oman Yusuf bin Alawi on Sunday.

“The humanitarian situation in Yemen is critical and highly alarming,” Rouhani stated, expressing hope that cooperation between Tehran and Muscat would help bring about a cessation to the situation.

“Today Iran and Oman bear a great burden concerning regional issues. They should put their experiences in the service of development of peace and stability in the region. The more insecure and unstable the region, the more damage regional countries will suffer,” Rouhani remarked.

For his part, bin Alawi appreciated Iran’s efforts to help regional peace, saying, “The conflict in Yemen will bring about nothing but misery and chaos…. We should do what we can to stop the killing of people in that region as soon as possible so that humanitarian aid find their way to the people.”

Oman has been acting as an intermediary between Iran and the West. Analysts say his talks with officials in Tehran most probably focused on the nuclear deal which faced strong opposition by U.S. President Donald Trump, Iran’s missile program, and the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.

 Muscat dismisses concerns on Iran’s missile program

The night earlier bin Alawi met with Majlis speaker Ali Larijani, saying that Iran has an inalienable right to pursue its defense strategies, rejecting concerns about Tehran’s missile program.

Some countries are afraid of Iran’s defense and missile policies, while there is no reason for such a fear, Oman’s chief diplomat noted, according to Tasnim.

The Omani minister also stressed that amid the current critical situation in the region, Iran has the right to military power to ensure its security.

Bin Alawi further stressed the need for a political settlement of the regional conflicts, urging concerted action against terrorism.

For his part, Larijani deplored the new, fabricated concerns over Iran’s missile program, saying the Islamic Republic has developed such technology since 30 years ago.

Moreover, he added, Iran has never launched a single missile to attack any other country.

The parliament speaker also reiterated that Iran has been supporting Syria and Iraq in the war against terrorism at the request of their own governments.

Larijani also called for the expansion of trade ties between Iran and Oman.

Bin Alawi arrived in Tehran on Friday for talks with Iranian officials.

SP/PA