Iran Welcomes Preliminary Deals between Yemeni Sides

The Ministry’s Spokesman Bahram Qassemi described as positive and promising the confidence-building measures and preliminary agreements to continue the negotiations.

In his Thursday night statement, he called the agreement reached on the Yemeni port city of Hudaydah very important, and praised the Yemeni parties for understanding the catastrophic situation which the impoverished country is going through.

“The agreement shows that the Yemeni groups participating in the talks have carefully and correctly understood the catastrophic situation of the innocent people of Yemen resulting from escalating conflict in Hudaydah, and have preferred the continued dispatch of humanitarian aid to their own interests,” he noted.

The spokesman also expressed hope that the port city of Hudaydah and other Yemeni ports and airports, including Sana’a airport, would be prepared as soon as possible to receive humanitarian aid.

He also raised hope that such civil activities can alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people.

“We hope the agreements would be implemented within the framework of the specified timeframe and provide the necessary ground for the next round of talks in the near future to reach a final deal.”

Qassemi said that Iran, within the framework of its responsible approach towards regional crises, played a constructive role in facilitating the Yemeni-Yemeni talks in Sweden.

“Tehran, in line with the four-point plan presented by the country’s foreign minister for Yemen, still believes that the final solution to the Yemen crisis is to stop the war and bloodshed, and to continue the Yemeni-Yemeni talks,” he added.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that warring sides in Yemen will be withdrawn from Hudaydah and that control will pass to local forces, with the UN playing a leading role at the port.

He told reporters after peace talks in Sweden that there has not been agreement on a ceasefire in the rest of Yemen beyond Hudaydah, but described the negotiations as a positive first step.

Meanwhile, the delegation representing the former Yemeni government in the talks described the withdrawal deal hypothetical. However, the Ansarullah movement along with the former government’s delegation voiced support for the UN-brokered truce.