Tehran, Oct 17 (IANS) Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Tehran is ready to provide any kind of assistance to help stop the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
He made the remarks in a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on the sidelines of the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Araghchi stressed that 12 years of tension and conflict have shown that there is no military solution or approach to the Yemen issue, Xinhua News Agency reported.
He highlighted Iran’s commitment to diplomacy and peace in the region, stressing that the country has always been committed to de-escalating tensions, while adopting a “responsible” approach toward diplomacy.
Araghchi had voiced Iran’s readiness to provide assistance to help initiate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen during a phone conversation with his Saudi counterpart on Oct. 11.
Iran’s offers of mediation come amid a sharp escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis, with intensified Saudi air operations against Houthi-held areas accompanying repeated Houthi missile and drone attacks on targets inside Saudi Arabia, including airports and energy facilities.
On Thursday, five missiles targeted the presidential palace housing Yemen’s government backed by the Saudi-led coalition in the southern port city of Aden, a local security official told Xinhua.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the missiles targeted Al-Ma’ashiq Palace in Aden’s Crater district, blaming the attack on the Houthi group. Casualties and damage remain unclear, he added.
Loud explosions rocked Aden as smoke rose from the vicinity of the palace, according to a Xinhua reporter on the ground. Residents nearby said the blasts shook their houses.
The Houthi group on Thursday renewed its warning to international airlines that Saudi airspace and airports were “unsafe.”
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the warning covered Saudi airspace and airports, except for airspace over the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
–IANS
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