Iran reacts to Human Rights Council report on Yemen situation

Tehran, Sept 11, IRNA – Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh reacted to a report by the United Nations Human Rights Council on situation in Yemen and said putting Iran’s name along with the providers of weapons for the Saudi Coalition is an absolutely incorrect act. Though Iran has been named only once in the report, it neglects Iran’s pivotal role and unconditional help to politically solve the crisis in Yemen, Khatibzadeh said on Thursday evening. He added this is while Western countries, like the US and Canada, are openly selling weapons to the Saudi coalition, noting that the figures on these sales have been published and are at hand. Though these countries, under pressure from human rights organizations, reduced or stopped selling arms to the Saudis, the bitter fact is that they are making handsome amounts through neglecting international and ethical commitments, he said. The spokesman noted that they are completely alert that the weapons they sell are used to kill Yemeni people and to destroy their infrastructures as a result of which the biggest human tragedy is happening in Yemen by the Saudi coalition and their weapon providers. Saying that it is surprising to see Iran’s name in the report while some Western countries are making billions of dollars through selling weapons to the Saudi coalition, Khatibzadeh highlighted that Iran condemned the Saudi attack on Yemen from the very beginning and supported a political solution to the crisis, especially those carried out in Kuwait, Stockholm, and, recently, the efforts made by the UN chief representative for Yemen Martin Griffiths. Referring to the fact that the name of the Saudi’s has been mentioned tens of times in the report and their destructive role has been underlined, he stressed that the siege on Yemen has prevented Iran from sending humanitarian aids to the country. So the claim that Iran is providing weapons has no foundations and is totally false, he added. Also reacting to Microsoft’s claim that hackers from Iran, Russia and China are targeting the US elections, Khatibzadeh said the US has been interfering in the elections of other countries, including Iran, for decades so it is in no position now to make such “ridiculous” claims. The US toppled Mosaddeq government in 1953 and leads the intelligence wars against countries, he reminded. As we have repeatedly said, Iran does not care who presides the White House; rather, what is of importance is Washington’s commitment to law and international norms and stopping interfering with the internal affairs of other countries, the spokesman added. Microsoft has claimed that Iranian, Russian, and Chinese hackers are trying to spy about the people in the campaigns of the presidential elections that is to be held in October. Microsoft has claimed that the campaigns of both of the candidate are being targeted.