President Hassan Rouhani criticized Saudi Arabia for its weeks-long military campaign against Yemen, saying Saudi airstrikes have been ordered by "freshmen" as part of their attempts to dominate the region by force.
"The (new) Saudi government, which barely understands international and regional issues and has just taken office, has turned from spending its petrodollars to bombing the impoverished Yemen under the delusion that bombs can help portray the Arab kingdom as strong and influential to achieve its goals," IRNA quoted Rouhani as saying.
“This is a great strategic error they have committed.”
He made the remarks on Saturday in his speech at a ceremony to mark World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day in Tehran on Saturday.
He denounced the discriminatory approach taken by the International organizations responsible for delivering humanitarian aid to Yemen, saying, “The International Committee of Red Cross and red crescent societies should avoid discriminating against some countries, including Yemen.”
“All humans should be treated equally and this is a lesson taught by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) in its activities in Syria, Yemen and any other country in a similar situation.” He highlighted Islam’s viewpoint in this relation, saying it has been repeatedly stressed in the sayings by the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and in the Holy Quran, that a Muslim is bound by Islamic teachings not to withhold help from any human who is suffering somehow, regardless of their race, color or religion.
“Islam teaches us that even animals and plants are to be respected and recommends against cutting trees down,” Rouhani said.
He called for efforts to create "synergy" among domestic organizations to help address problems such as drought and dust storms and avoid uncoordinated actions which may be redundant and, hence, a waste of national resources.
