TEHRAN, Dec. 4 (MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ramin Mehmanparast on Saturday condemned the most recent confrontation between security forces and Yemeni protesters.

Two Yemenis were killed during a third straight day of shelling in the protest hotbed of Taiz, residents said, raising the death toll from clashes between troops loyal to outgoing President Ali Abdullah Saleh and opposition fighters to at least 17, Reuters reported on Saturday.

Mehmanparast said that the Islamic Republic of Iran expresses serious concern over the crackdown on peaceful protests in Yemen and expresses regret over the fact that the relevant international organizations have maintained silence in the face of the atrocities being committed in the country.

He also said that legitimate demands of the people should be fulfilled, adding that Tehran is opposed to any interference in Yemen’s internal affairs.