The Foreign Ministry voiced the country’s support for the United Nations-sponsored peace talks between Yemen’s warring parties.
“Iran takes this opportunity to express its readiness to cooperate with the global community in tackling the Yemeni crisis,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday, stressing the importance of accelerating the supply of humanitarian aid to the impoverished Arab country.
Yemen has been stuck in a fierce civil war between the Houthi militia group and the ousted Yemeni government for nearly four years. The conflict has killed thousands of people, creating the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crisis.
The UN diplomatic initiative to address the crisis is expected to be undertaken this week in Stockholm, Sweden.
Historical Responsibility
The Foreign Ministry’s statement described the peace efforts for Yemen as a “historical responsibility of today’s world” and called for constructive and responsible participation of all Yemeni parties in the Stockholm talks.
“Iran calls on the parties to take confidence-building steps so as to pave the way for a comprehensive agreement that would end the Yemenis’ pain and suffering and their cruel siege,” the document read.
The ministry also highlighted Iran’s push for an end to the war soon after its Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif sumbitted a four-point peace plan to the UN in 2015.
The plan calls for a ceasefire and immediate end to military hostilities, unimpeded urgent humanitarian and medical assistance to the people of Yemen, resumption of Yemeni-led and managed national dialogue and establishment of an inclusive national unity government.
Iran reiterated in the statement that the crisis only has a political solution based on intra-Yemeni dialogue.
“[Iran] urges the global community to take effective and strong action to facilitate the peace process … and to allow the people of Yemen to determine the fate and future of their country without foreign interference,” it said, adding that such efforts include putting pressure on countries that provide weapons to foreign invaders.
Absolute Calamity
This painful and devastating war, according to the ministry, has not fulfilled any of the political and territorial objectives of the warmongers but has only led to “an absolute humanitarian calamity”.
“The war … has resulted in the destruction of economic resources and infrastructure and the massacre of thousands of women and children and other defenseless, but resilient, Yemenis,” he said.
Some 8.4 million Yemenis are facing starvation, although the United Nations has warned the figure will likely rise to 14 million. Three-quarters of Yemen’s population, or 22 million people, require aid.
The previous round of peace talks collapsed in September after the Houthis refused to show up when they failed to get security guarantees, but this round is expected to start on Wednesday, according to two sources cited by Reuters, after UN special envoy Martin Griffiths shuttled between the parties.
Prospects of convening the talks have increased, as the Saudi-led coalition that backs the ousted government of Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi against the Houthis has agreed to make compromises under pressure from its western allies.
It recently approved evacuating wounded Houthi fighters from Yemen for treatment, meeting a main condition of the group to attend the talks.
