Iran Renews Support for Political Solution to Yemeni Crisis

TEHRAN(Defapress)_"The Saudi regime and its allies should stop their deadly attacks on the impoverished Arab state and give room to peace efforts," Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gholamali Khoshrou wrote in a letter to the United Nations Security Council.

He underlined that Saudi Arabia should end its military and political intervention in Yemen and put an end to its blockade of that country where the world’s worst humanitarian crisis in unfolding.

The full text of Khoshrou's letter to the UN Security Council is as follows:

I am writing to you regarding a letter dated 26 July 2018 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2018/561), in which, once again, he made certain allegations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including with respect to Security Council resolutions 2216 (2015) and 2231 (2015). I hereby categorically reject all such unfounded allegations, as I have in my previous letters to the President of the Security Council.

It is crystal clear that such a provocation is aimed at covering up the brutalities and war crimes, as well as crimes against humanity, that this country continues to commit in Yemen on a daily basis, particularly by destroying its basic infrastructure, bombing densely populated residential areas and attacking public and civilian places such as hospitals, schools, medical facilities, markets, mosques, ports and airports, as well as water and electricity systems. Its recent consecutive airstrikes on the city of Hudaydah serve as the latest example of such crimes committed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, where a busy fishing market and the main hospital of the city were deliberately targeted in airstrikes, resulting in the death of 60 Yemeni civilians, including medical workers, and the injury of at least 170 other civilians.

Taking into account the statement of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, that “These airstrikes are putting innocent civilians at extreme risk”, it is evident that the continuation of the strikes by Saudi forces will seriously endanger the safety of 600,000 residents of the city and disrupt supply lines for urgent humanitarian assistance arriving in this port city, which accounts for about 70 per cent of imports in Yemen, where 22 million people rely on international aid to survive. Additionally, regional and international health and humanitarian institutions have stated that Yemen will be on the brink of a new cholera epidemic as a result of such attacks. This would further cause a deterioration in the situation in Yemen, which is now the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.

The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates its position that there is no military solution to the conflict in Yemen and, furthermore, that a peaceful solution can be achieved only through an all-inclusive, Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned national dialogue. To that end, Saudi Arabia should end its military and political intervention in, and lift the blockade against, Yemen.

Once again, we strongly warn the international community and the Security Council about the negative consequences of the continuation of these inhumane and aggressive actions committed by Saudi Arabia against the oppressed people of Yemen, as well as the threat posed by such actions to peace and security across the region.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a peace plan to this effect (see S/2015/263 and S/2017/949) and stands ready to engage with all relevant stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue to operationalize this peace plan.

Additionally, I would also like to seize this opportunity to reject the allegations made in the letter dated 26 July 2018 from the Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2018/563).

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.

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