Iran FM urges end to Yemen embargo, delivery of humanitarian aid
TEHRAN- Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, has stressed that the Saudi-led coalition's blockade on Yemen must be eased entirely in order for humanitarian help to reach the war-torn country, while repeating Tehran’s support for a two-month UN-brokered truce between Yemen's warring parties in a phone conversation with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed al-Sabah on Friday.
The United Nations stated on April 1 that the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which has been pounding Yemen since 2015, and Yemen's National Salvation Government had agreed to a two-month truce that would take effect one day later and may be repeated with the parties' approval.
The goal of the ceasefire, according to UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, “is to give Yemenis a necessary break from violence, relief from the humanitarian suffering, and most importantly hope that an end to this conflict is possible.”
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia unleashed a catastrophic war on Yemen in coordination with a number of its allies, with weaponry and logistical backing from the U.S. and numerous Western governments.
The goal was to restore the old Riyadh-backed dictatorship to power and smash the Ansarullah resistance organization, which has been handling state activities in Yemen in the absence of a competent government. Despite murdering hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and turning the country into the scene of the world's worst humanitarian disaster, the war has fallen well short of its objectives.
In his remarks, the senior Iranian diplomat stated that the Islamic Republic is willing to develop relations with Kuwait and engage in talks with regional countries. According to Amir Abdollahian, the Iranian administration, in line with its goal of expanding ties with neighbors, emphasizes actual collaboration among regional countries in addition to the conversation.
"We consider regional cooperation beneficial to security, progress and development in the region," he said.
For his part, Kuwait's foreign minister expressed confidence that the UN-brokered truce in Yemen would pave the way for intra-Yemeni talks and an end to the violence.
Kuwait, according to Al-Sabah, is keen to improve relations with Tehran. He also emphasized the need to define the water border and utilize joint gas fields. The Kuwaiti leader also asked Iran's foreign minister to visit Kuwait in order to strengthen bilateral relations.
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