The kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejected on Sunday calls from Iran for a ceasefire in Yemen, where Gulf States began military action last month.
“How can Iran call for us to stop the fighting in Yemen? ... We came to Yemen to help the legitimate authority, and Iran is not in charge of Yemen,” Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said Sunday at a joint press conference in Riyadh with his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius.
Over the past week several Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, urged the Saudi-led coalition to stop its military operations.
“Do not kill innocent children. Let's think about an end to the war, about a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance to the suffering people of Yemen,” said Rouhani on Thursday.
Russia is also calling on Saudi Arabia and its allies to favor a political solution rather than a military one.
On Friday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with the newly appointed Saudi ambassador, conveying the “necessity for a ceasefire” to create favorable conditions for a peaceful national dialogue.
However the Saudis, and the United States, have continued to claim Iran is supporting the Houthi movement, a political and armed rebel group that controls most of the country, and that this is contributing to the destabilization in the county.
Claims that two Iranian officers were captured on Saturday were denied by the Iranian government, which clarified it had no military presence inside Yemen.
Iranian officials claim the war unleashed by Saudi Arabia will draw new threats to the whole region, as the local Al Qaida group has gained momentum due to the Saudi intervention.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, up to 1,042 people have died in the conflict so far. The airspace and sea access are closed by the military operation, making humanitarian relief very difficult to reach the war-torn country.