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Intra-Yemeni dialogue urgent: Iran’s Zarif

Positive developments in Yemen should be followed by urgent humanitarian assistance, intra-Yemeni dialogue and a broad-based government, Zarif said.

Iran’s foreign minister says “intra-Yemeni dialogue” has to take place urgently in Yemen.

Mohammad Javad Zarif also called for an urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to the disaster-stricken Yemenis.

“Positive developments in Yemen should be followed by urgent humanitarian assistance, intra-Yemeni dialogue & broad-based govt,” he said in a tweet on Wednesday.

“Ready to help,” the tweet read on, sounding Iran’s readiness for contribution to the betterment of the situation in the war-wrecked country.

His remarks came hours after Saudi Arabia declared an end to its aerial campaign against the impoverished Arab country.

On Tuesday, Riyadh declared the end of “Decisive Storm” operation against Yemen and announced the beginning of a new phase dubbed “Operation Restoring Hope”.

Saudi Arabia has “ended Operation Decisive Storm based on a request by the Yemeni government” and fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, said Saudi government spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri on a televised broadcast.

Another statement by the Saudi Defense Ministry said that the Saudi airstrikes have destroyed “heavy weaponry and ballistic missiles which were seized by the Houthi militia and forces allied to (former president) Ali Abduallh Saleh from army bases and camps.”

The airstrikes has successfully removed “threats to Saudi Arabia’s security and that of neighboring countries,” the statement added.

Saudi Arabia started its military aggression against Yemen on March 26 – without a UN mandate – in a bid to restore power to Hadi, who is a close ally of Riyadh.

According to reports, about 2,800 people have been killed during the aggression.

Also on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman welcomed Saudi Arabia’s halt to its airstrikes against Yemen, expressing hope that national dialog among Yemeni parities would resume.

“Undoubtedly… a halt to the killing of innocent and defenseless people is a step forward,” Marzieh Afkham said on Tuesday night.

“We had previously announced that the crisis in Yemen has no military solution,” she stated.

Emad Askarieh

Emad Askarieh has worked as a journalist since 2002. The main focus of his work is foreign policy and world diplomacy. He started his career at Iran Front Page Media Group, and is currently serving as the World Editor and the Vice-President for Executive Affairs at the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website.