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Zarif, Guterres discuss Yemen crisis, stress end to Saudi aggression

File photo of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif shaking hand with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York, July 17, 2017 (By Reuters)

Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres have called for the start of peace talks in Yemen in order to put an end to the protracted Saudi-led aggression and blockade against the war-ravaged country.

In a phone conversation on Tuesday, Zarif and Guterres discussed the latest steps taken by the United Nations to end the war and restore peace in Yemen as well as efforts to start dialogue among all political parties in the country.

The UN chief called for the continuation of the prominent efforts of the Islamic Republic of Iran in helping to establish peace in Yemen.

Zarif, for his part, expressed Iran’s support for the UN’s efforts to restore peace in Yemen, and stressed the need for an end to the Saudi war of aggression, lifting the blockade and providing humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people.

The top Iranian diplomat also expressed hope for the establishment of peace and stability in Yemen through holding intra-Yemeni talks and forming an inclusive government.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of ex-president Hadi, back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah movement.

According to the United Nations, 80 percent of Yemen’s 30 million people need some form of aid or protection. About 13.5 million Yemenis currently face acute food insecurity, UN data shows.

According to the latest figures released by the UN in December last year, over 230,000 people have been killed since the onset of the Saudi-led war.

Yemeni armed forces and allied popular groups, led by the Houthi Ansarullah movement, have gone from strength to strength against the Saudi-led invaders, and successfully defended Yemen against the aggression, leaving Riyadh and its allies bogged down in the country.

Groups: Yemen aid shortfall means more hunger

In a related development on Tuesday, aid groups warned of worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen after a UN appeal for more funds for the war-torn country fell short of reaching its goal.

Guterres has appealed for $3.85 billion this year to address the impoverished Arab country's dire needs but despite repeated warnings that a large-scale famine is looming, the amount raised is about $1.7 billion.

The UN chief has warned that "cutting aid is a death sentence," calling for countries to reconsider their positions and help "stave off the worst famine the world has seen in decades."

Reacting to the aid shortfall, the International Rescue Committee said Yemeni people’s lives are at stake and that funds are crucial for delivering life-saving assistance on a large scale.

The Save the Children charity said over the past year, some nine million people received half the rations they were granted compared to 2019.

The International Organization for Migration’s program in Yemen also said it was only 50-percent funded last year. The agency said the reduction forced it to cut support to health care facilities serving large numbers of displaced people.

Guterres, Qatar FM confer on Iran deal

In a separate phone conversation on Tuesday, the UN chief spoke with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and discussed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers as well as Doha's role in this regard.

On February 15, the Qatari foreign minister had visited Tehran at the head of a high-ranking delegation to hold talks with Iranian authorities on bilateral issues and regional and international developments.

The landmark deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was unilaterally ditched by former US president Donald Trump in May 2018, in pursuit of what he called the “maximum pressure” policy against the Islamic Republic through unilateral sanctions. Iran has denounced the policy as an act of “economic terrorism.”

The US withdrawal from the pact was met with worldwide criticism, and was followed, a year later, by Iran’s gradual reduction of its nuclear commitments. However, Tehran has repeatedly proclaimed that it will return to its nuclear obligations as soon as its interests under the JCPOA are met.


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