Iranian officials discuss Yemen issue with ICRC chief

President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer who is currently in Tehran held talks with a number of Iranian officials over the country’s dispatch of humanitarian aid consignments to Yemen, where people are being targeted in a Saudi military campaign.

During the meeting with Iran’s First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri Wednesday evening, the Iranian official maintained that the Yemen crisis is solvable only through political solutions and dialog among various Yemeni parties, stressing the need for a more active participation of ICRC in sending humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.

Jahangiri criticized the international community for their lack of sufficient concern over the difficult situation of people in Yemen, saying “the UN Security Council could have played a more constructive role in preventing such a complicated situation in Yemen.”

Peter Maurer, for his part, confirmed Jahangiri’s remarks on the significance of arriving at a political solution to Yemen crisis, saying “the ICRC is seeking to increase its delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen and bring about constructive interactions among sides to the conflict in order to create a more stable atmosphere in the Arab country.”

Maurer added that humanitarian support for the people of Yemen is a major priority of his Geneva-based humanitarian institution, stating that the ICRC has increased its aid efforts for Yemen twofold in recent days, but a lot more needs to be done to meet the demands in the country.

He also lauded the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) and the government of Iran for supporting the ICRC operations in Yemen.

In a meeting with IRCS Secretary General Ali Asghar Ahmadi in Tehran on Wednesday, the Iranian official expressed his disapproval of politicizing the relief procedures in the under-siege country.

He discussed with the ICRC president the obstacles the Iranian Crescent Society has faced while trying to send aid cargoes to Yemen, saying the organization under his watch has already dispatched 5,000 tons of relief aid to Yemen.

Maurer also held a meeting with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani on Thursday.