The deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs and the UN envoy for Yemen conferred on the latest developments in Yemen and exchanged views on initiatives to establish intra-Yemeni dialogue in a phone conversation on Friday, Fars news agency reported.
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said Yemeni groups are scheduled to sit for peace talks in Geneva on June 14, adding that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is making every effort to help stop the Yemen war.
Referring to his consultations with Yemeni groups, including the Ansarullah movement, Ahmed expressed optimism about the success of a political solution to settle the crisis in Yemen.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian strongly condemned Saudi Arabia's continued military campaign against the defenseless Yemeni nation and called on the UN to play an effective role to put an immediate halt to Saudi attacks against the crisis-hit country and stop inhuman measures such as the Saudi-led coalition's blockade of the impoverished country.
Underlining the significance of holding intra-Yemeni dialogue without any foreign involvement, Amir Abdollahian appealed to the UN to take serious measures based on its charter to eliminate the grounds for such types of abuse in the contemporary world.
The diplomat hailed efforts by the UN envoy to help solve the Yemeni crisis and voiced support on behalf of the Islamic Republic for UN efforts in Yemen, citing the four-point peace plan proposed by the foreign ministry.
The four provisions, as stipulated in the plan, include a halt to foreign military attacks on Yemen, provision of humanitarian assistance, establishment of intra-Yemeni dialogue and formation of a broad-based government.
He reiterated that Tehran backs Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity and is ready to help the war-torn nation in their fight against terrorism.
Referring to efforts by the Iranian nation and government to dispatch humanitarian aid to the Arab country, he described the Saudi-led assault on Yemen as "a strategic mistake," which is to the detriment of regional security.
Saudi Arabia has been conducting airstrikes against Yemen since March 26. The Saudi attacks, which have been taking place without a UN mandate, aim to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to fugitive president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a staunch ally of Riyadh.
The United Nations says over 2,000 people have been killed and 7,330 injured due to the conflict in Yemen since March 19.
