DUSHANBE, March 26, 2015, Asia-Plus — The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned on Thursday the military operation by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies in Yemen, Iranian state television reported.
According to Reuters, Iran denies providing money and training to the Shi”ite Houthi militia in Yemen, as claimed by some Western and Yemeni officials.
Warplanes from Saudi Arabia and Arab allies struck Shi”ite Muslim rebels fighting to oust Yemen”s president on Thursday, a gamble by the world”s top oil exporter to check Iranian influence in its backyard without direct military backing from Washington, Reuters reports.
Riyadh”s rival Iran reportedly denounced the assault on the Houthi militia group and made clear the kingdom”s deployment of a Sunni coalition against Shi”ite enemies would complicate efforts to end a conflict likely to inflame the sectarian animosities fuelling wars around the Middle East.
Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV reported that the kingdom was contributing 100 warplanes to the operation – dubbed “Storm of Resolve” – and more than 85 more were provided by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan.
Egypt, Jordan, Sudan and Pakistan were ready to take part in a ground offensive in Yemen, the channel was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Meanwhile, Iranian news agency Fars reported on Thursday that Iran”s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday demanded an immediate halt to the “aggression and air strikes” in Yemen. Fars quoted Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham as saying that military actions in Yemen, which faces a domestic crisis … will further complicate the situation.
