On Saturday, hoping for a permanent end to the protracted conflict, Iran welcomed a two-month truce brokered by the United Nations between Yemen’s warring sides.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh hailed the announcement of the ceasefire which is said to start with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
He said the truce “could be a prelude” to the “complete lifting of the siege” and “the establishment of a permanent ceasefire” to find a “political solution” to the crisis in Yemen.
UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg announced the nationwide truce on Friday, after meeting with representatives of the two sides in Amman.
The ceasefire requires both warring sides to halt their military operations, including cross-border attacks, as it will come into effect on Saturday at 16:00 GMT+3.
Yemen’s warring rivals also agreed to allow fuel ships to enter al-Hodeidah port and commercial flights to operate from the capital Sanaa, under the UN-brokered truce.
After weeks of escalation in fighting between the Saudi-led coalition forces and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Grundberg hopes the truce would be extended after two months.
While addressing urgent economic and humanitarian needs, and resuming the country’s political process, the UN envoy said he plans to work closely with the two sides during the two-month truce period to pave the way for a permanent ceasefire.
In this regard, Khatibzadeh also stressed Tehran’s support for the ceasefire as well as political and humanitarian solutions to the eight-year war.
By giving priority to humanitarian issues and the continuation of the ceasefire, Khatibzadeh said Iran hopes to see “improved humanitarian conditions as well as the full exchange of prisoners” between the two sides.
