Iran tells Saudi Arabia that only a political solution will work in Yemen 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has said that the only solution for Yemen is political, RT reported on Monday. Khatibzadeh called for Saudi Arabia to end the war in Yemen and stressed that this would be in the best interests not only of Yemen but also of the other countries in the region.

“The origin of the crisis in Yemen is the war that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman believed would end within three weeks,” RT reported Khatibzadeh as saying. “Accusations against Tehran will not solve the crisis. Tehran is ready to help in ending the Yemeni crisis if Riyadh ends the war.”

The Iranian official reiterated that the Yemenis have the right to defend themselves. “However, dialogue and a political solution are the only way to end the crisis. Ending the war in Yemen and lifting the siege imposed on it will lead to a diplomatic settlement.”

READ: Saudi-led coalition launches air strikes on Yemeni capital after foiling drone attacks

On Sunday, the Houthis announced that they carried out an attack on Saudi Arabia with fourteen drones and eight ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia confirmed that an oil facility in Ras Tanura Port was targeted in addition to a residential neighbourhood in nearby Dhahran. No casualties were reported.

An RT correspondent reported that massive explosions were heard on Sunday in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, the stronghold of the Houthi group. Another correspondent confirmed that the Saudi-led coalition launched a series of raids that targeted a maintenance camp in Al-Nahda neighbourhood and Jabal Attan in Sanaa.

The on-going tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]