Iran welcomes extension of Yemen truce

ISTANBUL (AA) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday welcomed the extension of a truce in war-torn Yemen for two additional months.

“Iran hopes that a political solution would be reached, a sustainable ceasefire would be established and the siege would be lifted completely under the shadow of the mentioned efforts,” ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement cited by the state news agency IRNA.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran based on its strategic attitude and principled policies has always recognized political way as the [sole] solution for the Yemen crisis,” he added.

On Thursday, UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg said Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend the current truce for two additional months.

Under the truce, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were halted. The agreement also allowed the operation of commercial flights from the rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to restore the Yemeni government to power.

The eight-year conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with millions suffering from hunger.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat in Ankara