Claims of Iran ship arms in Yemen completely baseless: Official

In a meeting with a Swiss foreign ministry official in Tehran, Iranian Parliament's General Director for International Affairs categorically rejected claims that Tehran ships arms to Yemen. 
 

Iranian official Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, head of Middle East and North Africa division of federal department of foreign affairs in Switzerland, in Tehran on Tuesday. 

During the meeting, Amir-Abdollahian touched upon Tehran-Riyadh’s rocky relations, adding “the role of Saudi Arabia in the region in not constructive and the Arab government needs to make significant changes in its policies toward the Middle East.” 

He referred to the continued Saudi aggression against the Yemeni people, adding “the presence of various terrorist groups in south of Yemen which are on the rise due to the war and conflict in the country, is not only a threat to the security of the region but also a highly worrying issue for the security of international waterways.” 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran firmly believes that the only solution to the Yemeni crisis is through political talks and pursuit of peaceful approaches and respecting the decisions of Yemeni people,” he stressed. 

Elsewhere, Amir-Abdollahian talked about the recent holding of an international conference in support of Palestine in Tehran, adding “Netanyahu is wrong in assuming that the regional and international developments are proceeding to the benefit of Tel Aviv. Today, the Palestinian resistance groups are closely monitoring every move made by the Zionist regime.” 

He further highlighted the significance of keeping terrorists away from the Syrian-Syrian negotiating table, and called on Switzerland and the Western countries to take notice of the clear and systematic violation of human rights in Bahrain. 

The Swiss diplomat, for his part, while calling for closer ties between Tehran and Bern, conferred on various regional developments, and voiced his country’s support to the rights of people in Palestine, Yemen and Syria. He also evaluated the human rights situation in Bahrain. 

He further underscored the effectiveness of Syrian peace talks in Geneva and Astana on the peace process in the Middle East.