Diplomacy best way to resolve crises, including Yemen conflict, says Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has underlined the need for regional crises, including the conflict in Yemen, to be resolved though diplomacy.

“As we inch closer to end of Syrian nightmare through inclusive dialog, we must do same for Yemen. Not impose new crises by bombings, threats or resignations. There's no crisis that diplomacy can’t resolve. We proved that once. Iran aims to secure peace to exclusion of no one,” Zarif wrote on his official Twitter account on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia and a coalition of its allies have been pounding Yemen since March 2015 in a bid to bring back to power the resigned government of former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, and undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

In addition to airstrikes, the Saudi-led military coalition has also imposed a blockade on Yemen.

Yemen is also suffering from an outbreak of cholera, while roughly seven million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, aid workers say.

UN-brokered talks between Yemen’s warring sides have failed to end the conflict so far.

The Iranian foreign minister’s call for diplomacy in resolving crises comes as Iran, Russia and Turkey, which together act as guarantor states in peace talks for Syria, have helped set up de-escalation zones across the Arab country to reduce fighting on the ground.

The three are sponsors of the Astana talks on Syria, which are separate from UN-mediated talks in Geneva.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, Saad Hariri's resignation as Lebanese prime minister has aroused fears of a political vacuum in the country.

The son of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, Saad Hariri quit in a televised speech while in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, less than a year into his second stint as prime minister, plunging the country into uncertainty.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun has said that he is still waiting for Hariri to return and submit his resignation while Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has announced that the country’s government would continue to function despite Hariri’s resignation.

The president should now choose a new prime minister.

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