A UN official on Thursday discussed Tehran’s offer to supply humanitarian aid to Yemeni people who are facing a dire situation because of indiscriminate Saudi airstrikes.
In a phone conversation with Iran’s UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshrou, the United Nations Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien talked about Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s recent letter to the UN chief, Tasnim News Agency reported.
In his letter to Ban Ki-moon, Zarif notified the UN of Tehran’s readiness to supply humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen and transfer injured Yemenis to Iran for treatment after a recent “catastrophic” Saudi airstrike that killed scores of civilians in Sana’a.
O’Brien said on Thursday the bulk of international aid for Yemen is provided within the framework of UN-developed mechanism in coordination with the Saudi-led coalition forces.
“Considering past experiences, coordinating airlift support with the Saudi-led coalition for Yemen has been pretty hard and complicated,” he said. Khoshrou warned that lack of immediate relief aid for war-stricken Yemenis will increase the number of casualties.
Over 140 people were killed and some 500 wounded on October 8, when a Saudi aerial attack hit a community hall in southern Sana’a where a funeral was being held.
Saudi Arabia aims to reinstate fugitive president Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi after he was deposed by the popular Houthi movement.
