Iran, Hezbollah discuss Yemen situation

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Iranian First Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi have discussed developments in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia is conducting military strikes.

Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fat’hali also attended the meeting in which Nasrallah and Sarmadi reviewed the recent developments in the region, particularly the crisis in Yemen, Lebanon’s al-Manar TV reported on Thursday.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah (R) and Iranian First Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi discuss the latest developments in Yemen in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, April 9, 2015.

Nearly 450 people have been killed and some 1,700 others wounded since Saudi Arabia launched its illegal military campaign against Yemen on March 26.

In addition to reviewing the Yemen situation, Nasrallah and Sarmadi discussed the latest developments in the talks between Iran and the P5+1.

Iran and P5+1 group of countries – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – along with officials from the European Union issued a statement on the parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after eight days of marathon talks in Switzerland last week.

The JCPOA is considered the basis for a final nuclear deal, which the two sides will now work on to reach by the end of a self-designated June 30 deadline.

Sarmadi’s meeting with Nasrallah and their discussion of the situation in Yemen came a day after the former, who is also the special envoy of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, met with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

During the meeting on Wednesday, the Iranian diplomat called the Saudi aggression against Yemen a strategic mistake, al-Manar TV reported.

The Iranian official rejected military aggression as a solution to the ongoing crisis in Yemen, saying a political solution is needed to end the crisis in the Arab country.

Sarmadi, who arrived in Beirut at the head a delegation on Wednesday, also had a discussion with Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on the developments in Yemen.

Lebanese protest against Saudi Arabia

In a separate incident in Beirut, Lebanese people took to the streets in the capital, voicing their opposition to Saudi Arabia’s aggression against Yemen.

Saudi aggression

Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Ansarullah fighters started on March 26, without a UN mandate, in a bid to restore power to the country’s fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

Ansarullah fighters took over state matters in January, citing the inability of the Hadi administration to properly run the affairs of the country and contain terror and corruption.