Iranian diplomat calls for political solution without foreign interference in Yemen

Any political solution to the protracted war in Yemen must be without foreign interference and in accordance with the will of the Yemeni people, a senior Iranian diplomat says. 

Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior aide on political affairs to Iran’s foreign minister, made the remarks in a meeting with Ibrahim Muhammad al-Dailami, Yemen’s ambassador to Tehran.

During the meeting, the two officials discussed the latest developments in Yemen and emphasized the need to preserve the Arab country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, according to a statement by Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

Khaji underscored the need to lift a Saudi-led inhumane all-out blockade on the crisis-stricken country, which he tied to the establishment of truce and political settlement of the crisis.

The country situated on the southwestern corner of the Arabian Peninsula has been beset by violence and chaos since 2015, when Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a devastating war to reinstall the former regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi in Sana’a.

The protracted war has killed hundreds of thousands of Yemeni civilians and spawned the worst humanitarian catastrophe in modern world history.

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Multiple UN-brokered talks between the two sides have failed to produce a breakthrough over the years as Saudi-backed foreign mercenaries have sought to inflict harm on the people of Yemen.

“Any political solution (to the war in Yemen) must take place without foreign intervention and based on the will of the Yemeni people,” the Iranian diplomat asserted.

The meeting between the two sides came two weeks after Khaji held a phone conversation with the UN secretary general’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg.

During the telephone talk, the Iranian diplomat emphasized the significance of Iran’s continued constructive engagement in achieving lasting peace in Yemen through a political settlement.

Meanwhile, Saudi-led allies continue to lose the territory they had occupied following the 2015 invasion, as Yemeni armed forces and the allied popular committees continue to make rapid advances.

Yemeni forces liberate large territories in Shabwah, Ma’rib during major offensive

Yemeni armed forces liberate an area of 3,200 square kilometers in their latest advances in the provinces of Shabwah and Ma’rib.

In a latest offensive, the Yemeni army and the allied popular allies have managed to liberate large swaths of land, estimated to be around 3,200 square kilometers, while inflicting heavy losses on Saudi-backed mercenaries in the strategic provinces of Shabwah and Ma’rib.

Addressing a press conference in the capital Sana’a on Sunday, Yemeni army spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree revealed details of the ‘Operation Rabi’ al-Nasr’ (Spring of Victory), which he said had successfully achieved its goals.

“Yemeni armed forces could liberate Usaylan, Bayhan and Ain districts in Shabwah province, in addition to the districts of al-Abdiyah and Harib in (neighboring) Ma’rib province during the operation. They could also reclaim large swaths of territory in al-Jubah and Jabal Murad districts (in Ma’rib),” he said.

Saree announced that hundreds of mercenaries fighting for the regime in Riyadh were killed, wounded or captured during the operation. 

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