Zarif: US Attaches More Importance to Oil Refineries than Yemeni Children’s Life

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced surprise over the US officials indifference to the loss of thousands of civilians’ lives in Yemen, including children, while showing much sensitivity to attacks against an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia.

“The Yemeni people have for 4.5 years been under the toughest crimes against humanity. These crimes have been confirmed by all international organizations. Children and infants in Yemen were killed in the past few years for the bombings that targeted children. (Now) the people of Yemen defended themselves (by attacking the Saudi oil installations),” Zarif told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday.

“Yesterday and the day before, the Americans proved that they show more sensitivity to an oil refinery than the killing of children. This shows the US wrong view of humanity and human status and dignity; they need to make a fundamental change in this view,” he added.

Zarif dismissed again allegations of Iran’s involvement in the Yemenis’ Saturday attacks against the Saudi oil installations, and said, “Those who thought that they can defeat the nearly defenseless people of Yemen within days by military power and arms purchases from the US, have now seen that their advanced defense systems have no power to intercept the Yemeni missiles and drones after 4.5 years and they raise allegations against others to make up for this shame.”

He also blasted the American officials for raising allegations against Iran, and said, “We have clearly stated that the US should be trying to look at realities instead of projecting the blame on others. I feel that the US government wants to forget the realities of our region.”

Yemen’s Ansarullah movement announced on Saturday that its drones had successfully attacked two oil plants in the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry, stressing that the attacks were a firm response to Riyadh’s relentless bombardment of Yemen.

The recent operation came just weeks after Yemeni forces conducted attacks on an oil field affiliated to Saudi Aramco in the East of the kingdom in retaliation for Riyadh’s war on their country. Oil facilities at Shaybah, which has the largest strategic oil reserve in Saudi Arabia near the UAE border and operated by state-oil company Saudi Aramco, were targeted by 10 Yemeni drones.

In relevant remarks earlier today, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani dismissed the US allegations of Tehran’s involvement in the Saturday attacks on Saudi oil installations, warning of a crushing and powerful response to any aggression.

“The crisis in Yemen that Saudi Arabia’s continued military aggression has prolonged for over 50 months has no military solution and can end only within the framework of Yemeni-Yemeni talks and without interference of third parties,” Shamkhani said on Wednesday.

He described the Yemeni people’s defense against foreign aggression and cruel massacre of the country’s citizens as their legitimate and legal right and a natural reaction to aggressors’ cruelties.

Shamkhani noted that the Yemeni army designs and builds its own weapons, and said blaming other countries for the Saturday attacks is just escaping ahead not to account for wasting resources to purchase advanced but ineffective military equipment from the Western states.

He underlined that Iran’s strategic policy is decreasing tension, avoiding any clashes and resolving the regional crises through talks.

“Meantime, Iran monitors, with full preparedness, any intention and move for the purpose of aggression against the country or the interests of the Islamic Republic and will give a decisive and all-out response to possible mischiefs in the harshest way which can surprise the aggressors,” Shamkhani said.

On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry had also strongly rejected US officials’ allegations that Tehran was involved in the Saturday drone attacks against the Saudi oil installations.

“Yemen has been entangled in war for 5 years and Iran has naturally clearly announced that it supports the Yemeni people and their rights, but blaming Iran for such measures is in line with (the American officials’ policy of) maximum lie,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Monday, commenting on the US officials’ claims that the attack on the Saudi oil facilities had been carried out with Iran’s assistance.

“Such remarks are essentially baseless and untrue,” he added.

His comments came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed the Saturday drone attacks by the Yemeni army against Saudi Arabia’s oil installations on Iran claiming on Twitter that there was “no evidence the attacks came from Yemen”.

After his remarks, Zarif blasted Pompeo for allegations against Tehran, saying that Washington which had failed in pressures against Iran was now resorting to lies and deceits.

“Having failed at max pressure, Pompeo’s turning to max deceit,” Zarif wrote on his twitter page on Sunday.

“The US and its clients are stuck in Yemen because of illusion that weapon superiority will lead to military victory,” Zarif added.

He noted that blaming Iran won’t end disaster, saying that the US and the Saudi-led coalition should accept Iran’s “April 15 proposal to end war and begin talks” to resolve the crisis in Yemen politically.