Iran Demands Halt To Saudi-Led Strikes, Calls For Dialogue In Yemen

Iran has called for an “immediate halt” to the Saudi-led military operation against Shi’ite Huthi rebels in Yemen, warning that the "attack" endangered the whole region.

Speaking in Kuwait on March 31, Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein-Amir Abdollahian said Iran and Saudi Arabia could cooperate to solve the Yemeni crisis.

Meanwhile, state television reported Iran sent a shipment of non-military aid to Yemen, the first since a Saudi-led coalition last week started a campaign of air strikes against Huthi rebels.

The official IRNA news agency reported the aid contained 19 tons of medicines and medical equipment and 2 tons of food.

The report said the shipment was delivered by plane but did not say where the plane landed.

In Riyadh, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal denounced Iran's "support" for Huthi rebels seeking to "destabilize" Yemen.

Saudi-led coalition warplanes attacked targets in Yemen for a sixth straight day and warships carried out their first attack on a rebel-held airport and outskirts of the port city of Aden.

Saudi forces and Yemeni Huthi fighters also exchanged artillery and rocket fire along several stretches of the Yemeni-Saudi border.

German news agency dpa reported that Pakistan sent a delegation to Saudi Arabia on March 31 to discuss possible Pakistani participation in the campaign in Yemen.

Pakistani officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the delegation would assess the security situation and report back to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, dpa reported.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, AP, and dpa