Military approach to Yemen miscalculation: Deputy FM

A top Iranian official has said resorting to the military option regarding Yemen is a mistake, highlighting a rise in the number of Saudi airstrikes on the impoverished Arab country.

“Insistence on using a military approach in this country (Yemen) is a miscalculation,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a phone conversation with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Walad Sheikh Ahmed Saturday.

The top Iranian diplomat said a military approach will harm the atmosphere created for UN-sponsored talks among Yemeni groups.

He appreciated the efforts of the UN envoy as well as the world body’s chief Ban Ki-moon and said, “The UN’s failure to ward off a humanitarian disaster in Yemen would dent the reputation and credibility of this organization” regarding the safeguarding of human rights.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran expects the UN to tap into its full potential to stop war and bloodshed in the run-up to Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice, an Islamic occasion much revered and celebrated by Muslims),” said Amir Abdollahian.

He also underlined the need to dispatch humanitarian aid to war-stricken Yemeni people as soon as possible.

The UN envoy, in turn, touched upon the latest efforts made to arrange a political dialogue among Yemeni groups in the Omani capital Muscat, stressing that negotiations should continue.

He said the Yemeni crisis can only be settled politically, not militarily.

All foreign parties as well as local groups and entities which have a say in running the nation’s affairs should contribute to efforts aimed at bringing about direct talks among Yemeni groups in a bid to help establish a ceasefire in the country soon.

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