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Iran Never Supplied Arms to Yemeni Houthis - Diplomat

© REUTERS / StringerDamage is seen following a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's northwestern city of Saada May 22, 2015
Damage is seen following a Saudi-led air strike in Yemen's northwestern city of Saada May 22, 2015 - Sputnik International
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Iran has never supplied arms to Yemen as the crisis-hit country has massive stockpiles of weaponry and does not need additional shipments from abroad, a senior Iranian diplomat said in an exclusive interview with Sputnik.

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Mohamad Alibak stressed that there are at least three pieces of weaponry for every Yemeni citizen, which are kept in domestic stockpiles.

"The Islamic Republic has never shipped arms to Yemen. Iran does not see the need to do so," head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Second Department on the Middle East and North Africa said.

"Those who are familiar with the situation in Yemen realize that sending weapons to this country is a utopia."

"It seems as if the countries that accuse Iran are trying to cover up their mistakes and failures in this issue while shifting the responsibility on other countries in the region."

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To play an important role in the resolution of the current Yemeni crisis, the United Nations and its Secretary-General should not follow the policies of major powers and stay impartial, the senior Iranian diplomat said.

Last week, the UN special envoy for Yemen visited Tehran and during this meeting Iranian officials told him that "the secret of success lies in the independence of the personality of the UN Secretary-General himself," Alibak said.

"We stressed that the UN Secretary-General should perform his role as an independent arbiter. He should not be under pressure from this or that state."

The Iranian diplomat added that Tehran urged the UN special envoy to study the facts and the real situation in Yemen.

"We insist that the dialogue must be held on an intra-Yemen level only without the intervention of foreign powers… We are sure that Yemeni groups can reach agreements without foreign intervention," Alibak said.

According to the Iranian diplomat, the parties were supposed to convene on May 28, but the United Nations postponed the talks.

"Unfortunately, we see some states showing double standards. These countries support terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, and then try to accuse countries that oppose these terrorist groups of sponsoring terrorist organizations," Alibak said.

According to Alibak, such double standards are used as a tool for foreign states to promote their own political agenda in the region.

"Americans do not support the residents of Bahrain and support the government, which suppresses people. Americans send armed groups to Syria to overthrow the legal order in this country."

"These are the double standards major powers use for their own purposes," Alibak noted.

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