News / Politics

Saudi Arabia still pursues warmongering policy in Yemen: Iran

Sunday, 29 September 2019 6:50 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 30 September 2019 5:29 AM ]

Smoke billows during clashes between soldiers loyal to Yemen's Saudi-backed former government and Houthi Ansarullah fighters in the city of Ta'izz on May 30, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

Iran has slammed Saudi Arabia for the continuation of its warmongering policy in Yemen despite the latest proposal by the Ansarullah-led National Salvation Government that if Riyadh stops its bombardment, Yemeni forces will end drone and missile attacks on the Saudi soil in return.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the offer by Yemen's National Salvation Government and regards it in line with the establishment of stability and security in the region," the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Sunday, adding that despite international support for the proposal, Saudi Arabia still pursues its warmongering policy and continues to bomb different regions in Yemen.

"We encourage the Saudi government to accept this proposal and support any move that aims to establish a ceasefire and end the cruel war on the Yemeni people," the Iranian spokesman said.

In an interview with the Arabic-language al-Masirah television network earlier this month, the head of the Houthi Ansarullah movement's Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, called for a halt to strikes on both sides and for serious talks among all players involved.

"I call on all parties from different sides of the war to engage seriously in genuine negotiation that can lead to a comprehensive national reconciliation that does not exclude anyone," Mashat said.

"We declare ceasing to target the Saudi Arabian territory with military drones, ballistic missiles and all other forms of weapons, and we wait for a reciprocal move from them," Mashat noted, adding, "We reserve the right to respond if they fail to reciprocate positively to this initiative."

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the former Riyadh-friendly government back to power and crushing Ansarullah.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 91,000 lives over the past four and a half years.

The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

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