TEHRAN — Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military advisor to the Leader, has said Iran’s relationship with the UAE has improved and the Islamic Republic is ready for dialogue with Saudi Arabia.

“Our relationship with the UAE has improved and Abu Dhabi’s attitudes towards us have changed,” the Middle East Monitor on Tuesday quoted Rahim Safavi as saying, citing Al Jazeera.

He also said: “[We] are ready for dialogue with Saudi Arabia without preconditions if they agree to this.”

“Riyadh must admit the failure of its war in Yemen and adopt a new policy … What is happening in Yemen is the futile military chaos that Saudi Arabia bears firstly,” he added.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads over a number of issues including the Saudi war on Yemen and Riyadh’s support for Donald Trump’s anti-Iran moves.

Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against Yemen in March 2015 with the aim of eliminating the Yemeni opposition groups who had toppled the government of President Mansour Hadi.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had vowed to restore the toppled president in a matter of weeks.

In a report on March 24, Amnesty International said, “Gross human rights violations, including what could amount to war crimes, are being committed throughout the country. By the end of 2019, it is estimated that over 233,000 Yemenis would have been killed as a result of fighting and the humanitarian crisis.”

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented more than 20,000 civilians killed and injured by the fighting since March 2015, the amnesty said. 

A man-made humanitarian crisis has spiraled with approximately 16 million people waking up hungry every day, the amnesty regretted.

Meanwhile, Hossein Dehghan, a military advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has also made similar remarks, saying Iran is ready to hold talks with Saudi Arabia without precondition.

He said that Iran’s relations with the United Arab Emirates is improving and Abu Dhabi’s position on Iran has changed, IRNA reported on Monday, citing Al Jazeera.

Dehghan also said that Saudi Arabia should admit defeat in Yemen and adopt new policies.

What is happening in Yemen is military chaos for which Saudi Arabia is responsible, the former defense minister remarked.

MH/PA