Saudi War Inflicts Worst Humanitarian Catastrophe on Yemenis – Tehran

By Staff, Agencies

Iran condemned the Saudi-led war on Yemen, which has left the impoverished country with the worst humanitarian crisis of the current century.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Thursday on the seventh anniversary of the Saudi war on Yemen, which said that “The destructive war and cruel siege of the Yemeni people by the so-called alliance is now entering its eighth year, which has inflicted the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the century on the country.”

The statement pointed to that the direct and indirect aftermaths of the conflict have affected most of civilians, including women and innocent children, and ruined crucial infrastructure as well as health facilities, livelihood, economy and education in Yemen.

“The aggressive coalition has not suffice to pound the country within seven years of war, but resorted to inhuman and illegal siege as a leverage to squeeze political and military concessions,” it further lamented.

The ministry went on to say that the coalition is inflicting the harshest economic war and severest blockade on the people via denying any land, air and maritime paths in order to prevent importing food, fuel and other essential needs.

“The inhuman crime of the coalition takes place in light of weapons sales by their Western supporters especially the United States, in addition to the double standards by the United Nations Security Council, which led to the continuation of violating all international regulations and human rights in the Yemen crisis.”

As the statement voiced Iran’s support of any effort and fair initiative to lift the siege, reach ceasefire and initiate negotiation among Yemeni fractions without foreign interference supported by the United Nations, it stressed that this is the only way out of the crisis is political resolution.

Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war against Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with a number of its allies and with arms and logistics support from the US and several Western states.

The objective was to bring back to power the former Riyadh-backed regime and crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective government in Yemen.

The war has stopped well short of all of its goals, despite killing hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and turning the entire country into the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.