Iran on Friday denied United States accusations it has delivered missiles to Yemeni rebels, retorting it was USA support for a Saudi-led coalition backing the government that had prolonged the conflict. But that the final agreement, in broad outline, would initially include a “swift formation of a national unity government with power shared among the parties”.
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The US backed the Saudi war, and has been conducting refueling operations for the Saudi warplanes bombing Yemen, which have killed thousands of civilians over the past year and a half, and which are fueling increasing global condemnation.
Kerry’s new peace road came after his meeting this week in Jeddah with foreign ministers of British and Arab Gulf states to end Yemen civil war.
In Yemen, the SABA agency, which is under control of the Houthis, reported that two houses located in the district of Baqam in the city of Saada were destroyed by airstrikes overnight.
The UN high commissioner for human rights earlier called on the worldwide community to “refrain from encouraging or arming parties to the conflict”.
“Saudi Arabia is committed to arriving at a peaceful solution”. These also constituted documented violations that should be addressed.
In reaction, the fighting escalated between the Shiite Houthi fighters and internationally recognized exiled Yemeni government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.
The United Nations’ human rights chief Thursday called for an independent global investigation of abuses in Yemen that include military attacks on residential areas and medical facilities.
Both the Saudi-led coalition and the opposing Houthis have been accused of abuses against citizens of the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.
Asked about civilian casualties Thursday, Jubeir pushed back against any notion that Saudi Arabia represented the oppressor in the conflict. The contribution will help meet urgent humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in the Middle East’s poorest and most food insecure country, as well as Yemeni refugees in neighboring countries. They have since sought to consolidate their hold on the country.
Last week, US defense officials told Reuters that the military was scaling back the number of American personnel devoted to the Saudi-led air campaign. But there has been growing concern in Washington that the Saudi campaign may have targeted civilian installations including hospitals.
“Unfortunately, the humanitarian situation in Yemen is very bad”, he told reporters.
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