Local Editor

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he is ready to visit Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh for talks over ways of ending the war on Yemen.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 42nd annual meeting of foreign ministers of member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation[OIC], Zarif said that Iran seeks good relations with Saudi Arabia and "does not like to see the current measures against the Yemeni people continue since the [military] operation does not contribute to the resolution of the crisis."

"Aerial assault against the Yemeni people is not beneficial for and does not contribute in any way to the resolution of issues and conflicts, and has only resulted in hatred toward Saudi Arabia among the Yemeni people," he noted.

He further referred to Iran’s viewpoint regarding the regional developments, saying that, "Dialog and understanding with the region’s countries is the priority of Iran’s foreign policy."

Zarif asserted that, "This threat [war and terror] is a menace to the entire region. Hence, the only resolution to this crisis is cooperation against these issues, not acting against one another."

"We have proposed four issues for the resolution of the situation in Yemen, which comprise the implementation of a ceasefire, the initiation of [the provision] of humanitarian assistance, intra-Yemeni negotiation, and the formation of an all-inclusive popular government, which excludes foreigners," he also pointed out.

Without a United Nations [UN] mandate, Saudi Arabia started taking Yemen under military offensives on March 26 in order to undermine the nation’s Houthi Ansarullah movement, and restore power to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is a close ally of Saudi Arabia.