“There are no bridges between us and Iran that would be undermined through targeting us [by Saudis]," Mohammed Ali al-Houthi said in a recent interview with German weekly Der Spiegel.
He also dismissed the rumors by the US media that suggested Iran is supporting Yemen with drones and ballistic missiles.
“Saying that the war against the Yemeni people is aimed at pressurizing Iran is another American fallacy to mislead the world,” al-Houthi said.
He said the US is talking about this unreal support to cover up the money it takes from Saudi Arabia and the money it steals to support this war.
With regard to the remarks by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffith who said currently sees no prospects of peace, al-Houthi explained that the national authorities in Sanaa presented a "comprehensive solution document" containing many solutions to the Yemeni problems.
“We are the ones who propose peace initiatives. We are prepared to observe the cease-fire on all fronts and to stop missile and drone attacks. We want dialogue and a comprehensive solution. But in return, we want the blockade against the Yemeni people to be lifted and the aggression to stop.”
He added, “We accepted the efforts of Martin Griffiths and asked him to convince the other side. But the so-called aggression alliance against Yemen rejects the joint declaration.”
Referring to the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country, he said, “The air and sea blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia makes it impossible for us to supply our people through imports and trade.”
“The UN has repeatedly called on Saudi Arabia to honor its earlier aid commitments. But they are no longer paying. They use humanitarian aid as a weapon against our people."
Al-Houthi pointed out that Saudi Arabia and America crossed all red lines in the war on Yemen and targeted all vital installations and civilian objects and citizens and used prohibited weapons, as long as they used the siege as a weapon, and they targeted mosques.
Saudi Arabia launched a devastating campaign against its southern neighbor in March 2015 in collaboration with a number of its allied states, and with arms support from certain Western countries.
The purported aim was to return to power the Riyadh-backed former regime of Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi and defeat the Houthi Ansarullah movement that took control of state matters after the resignation of the then-president and his government.
According to a report by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict research organization, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis.
The war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The United Nations has already said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
MR/FN13990716000171
Your Comment