Rouhani Slams New Saudi Government for Wrong Strategy in Yemen

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the new Saudi government for its wrong and naive policies and strategies in the region, specially the military invasion of Yemen.

“A government which doesn’t understand and doesn’t know the regional and global political issues and is rookie and wants to present itself after long years and a government that has done whatever it wanted to do through buying it with its dollars and has different other options for exercising influence other than using its dollar (reserves) has opted for using bombs and thinks that it can show its power through using bombs and show that it is influential in the region, but this is a strategic and big mistake they have made,” Rouhani said, addressing a ceremony in Tehran.

He said that Saudi Arabia has purchased fighter jets from the world powers and has launched a military attack against its neighbor instead of assisting it.

Rouhani criticized the international relief organizations for ignoring the needs of the war-stricken Yemeni people, and said if a European country was attacked instead of Yemen, all the Red Crescent Societies and Red Crosses would have been mobilized to dispatch aid to that country.

On Wednesday, the Iranian foreign ministry warned of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, and lashed out at Saudi Arabia for blocking aid delivery to the war-stricken Yemeni people.

“Today, Yemen is facing the breakout of a humanitarian catastrophe, and Yemen’s siege by the aggressive states has restricted people’s access to their basic needs and staples, and things like electricity, bread and medicine are among the problems that the Yemeni people are dealing with,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman MarziyehAfkham told reporters in her weekly press conference in Tehran.

Noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran is in talks with different countries and the international organizations to send humanitarian aid to Yemen, she said the Saudi fighter jets’ bombing of Sana’a airport to prevent landing of Iranian cargo planes which carried foodstuff and medicine for the Yemeni people was an act against humanity.

 Afkham also described Yemen’s siege as an unforgivable measure, and said, “This action will remain in minds of the Arab nations.”

She repeated Tehran’s condemnation of the Saudi-led aggression against Yemen, and called on the international community to pay special attention to the issue and prevent further human losses in the poor Arab country.

Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen for 45 days now to restore power to fugitive president Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed at least 3,585 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children.

Hadi stepped down in January and refused to reconsider the decision despite calls by Ansarullah revolutionaries of the Houthi movement.

Despite Riyadh’s claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi warplanes are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

On April 21, the monarchy declared end to Yemen airstrikes after five weeks of bombings, but airstrikes are still underway.

FNA

R.S