Iran rejects UK claims of sending arms to Yemen

Iran has rejected as lies allegations by the UK Foreign Office that the Islamic Republic is sending weapons to Yemen, saying Tehran supports “the establishment of peace” in the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Wednesday that the remarks by a UK Foreign Office spokesperson are blatant interference in the affairs of the Middle Eastern countries and in line with Britain’s meddlesome policies.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s fundamental policy is still based on the establishment of stability and security in the region,” Qasemi said, blaming extra-regional countries for instability and growing extremism and terrorism.

The Iranian official stressed that regional countries are capable of resolving crises through “dialogue, interaction, good neighborliness and respect for sovereignty” of others without the need for extra-regional countries’ interference.

Qasemi further advised UK officials to respect the will of the people instead of fomenting tensions for their own gains.

Yemeni security forces inspect vehicles at a checkpoint in Mukalla, the capital of Yemen’s southeastern Hadhramaut province, on July 19, 2016. ©AFP
Qasemi also called for a collective effort by regional countries to settle the conflicts in the region.

“The vigilance of regional countries in the face of wrong inculcation, addressing the root causes of crises and making joint efforts to resolve them can contribute to the establishment of stability and security without meddling of extra-regional countries,” he noted.

Yemen has been under Saudi Arabia’s military aggression since March 2015. The Riyadh regime’s military assault, which started without a UN mandate, aims to crush the Houthi Ansarullah fighters and their allies and reinstate the resigned Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

About 10,000 people have been killed in the military aggression, according to Yemeni sources.