Iran condemns Saudi Arabia’s war crimes in Yemen

The Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, Gholamali Khoshroo, sent a letter to the head of the United Nations Security Council in which he criticized Saudi Arabia for seeking a military solution to Yemen and instead called for a political settlement.

The full text of Khoshroo’s statement is as follows:

“In the name of God, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

Excellency,

Upon instruction from my Government, I would like to bring to your attention and to the attention of the Security Council the following:

Pursuant to a reported launch of a missile on 4 November 2017 from Yemen to Riyadh, the authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including its Crown Prince and Minister of Foreign Affairs, accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of supplying missiles to Yemen for the purpose of attacking Saudi Arabia. Based on this unfounded assumption, they maintained that such measures are a “direct military aggression” and an “act of war” by Iran and threatened to respond accordingly.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, categorically rejects such baseless and unfounded accusations and considers it as destructive, provocative and a “threat to use of force” against a United Nations member state in clear defiance of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter.

Such provocative statements by the Saudis are nothing but an attempt to shift the blame and to distract attention from its war of aggression against Yemen. However, this cannot exonerate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from its international responsibility for committing war crimes and violating the international humanitarian law, including further blocking humanitarian access to an already famine-stricken Yemen. The alarming situation in Yemen will face more deterioration as a result of  the recent decision made by the Saudi-led Coalition to “close all Yemeni air, sea and land ports,” which tighten the inhumane blockade over Yemen, particularly in the face of an unprecedented outbreak and spread of cholera and famine in that country. Such a worsening humanitarian situation in Yemen has been rightly described very recently by high-ranking UN officials as “the world’s worst hunger crisis and cholera” for which Saudi Arabia and its enablers must be held accountable.

After more than two and a half years of blind attacks and murdering of Yemeni innocent people, the Saudi and its allies should have realized by now that there is no military solution for Yemen. Iran continues to express its longstanding position that the only solution to the crisis in Yemen is through an all-inclusive Yemeni-Yemeni led political settlement.

The Islamic Republic of Iran reiterates that its foreign policy has always been based on establishing friendly relations with all of its neighbors in the Persian Gulf and strengthening peace, security and prosperity in the region. Iran calls for self-restraint and wisdom instead of provocation and threat that may bring further instability to this already volatile region.

Saudi Arabia should be urged to respect the international law, purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and refrain from threat or use of force against other states.

I should be grateful if you could have this letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”