Iran urges political solution to Yemen fighting
Iran called on Monday for a political solution to fighting in Yemen, days after a Yemeni government official implied Iranian involvement in a Shi’ite Muslim rebellion in the Arab country’s north.
But Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi also said that Iran, a mainly Shi’ite Muslim country, saw it as an internal issue and that it had always respected Yemen’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Mostly Sunni Muslim Yemen, an impoverished state of about 23-million people on the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is battling al-Qaeda militants and secessionist discontent in the south, as well as the rebellion in the north bordering Saudi Arabia.
“We believe the issue ... is Yemen’s internal issue and we think there should be a political solution.
More Coverage
On Sunday, government forces reported more than 100 rebels killed as battles intensified in northern Yemen two days after the government urged a ceasefire, although a rebel spokesperson disputed the claim.
Yemeni forces have used air strikes, tanks and artillery in an offensive described by officials as an attempt to crush the revolt. The rebels are adherents of the Zaydi branch of Shi’ite Islam, a tribal minority in Yemen.
Last Tuesday, a Yemeni government spokesperson said the rebels were receiving financial support from abroad, strongly implying Iranian involvement.
Qasqavi said: “We have always respected Yemen’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty and we want to see peace, stability and calmness in that country.”
He added, in comments translated by Iran’s English-language Press TV: “What propaganda or media say, that’s not true.”—Reuters
