Iranian women urge UN to halt Suadi-led strikes on Yemen

Hundreds of Iranian women rallied in front of the United Nations (UN) office in Tehran on Monday to protest against Saudi-led strikes on Yemen.

The protesters, in black robes, held placards condemning the Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen and offering support to the Yemeni people.

They urged the UN to put an end to the airstrikes and the bloodshed in Yemen, chanting slogans against Saudi Arabian, U.S. and Israeli authorities.

"We Iranian women want to give our support to Yemeni women," said Zahra Abbasi, a leader of the protesters.

Abbasi said the Saudi-led coalition not only killed women and children in Yemen but also blocked the oppressed people from humanitarian aid.

Iran has been trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to Yemen. Its aid ship with 2,500 tonnes of food and medicine had to unload in Djibouti after failing to reach Yemen last Saturday, according to Iranian media.

Iranian officials said earlier that coordination was made with the UN to allow the aid ship safe passage to Yemen.

Iran will continue to support people of Yemen and dispatch more humanitarian aids to the war-stricken country, said Zohreh Tabib Zadeh, an Iranian Majlis (parliament) member who joined the protest. "We hope the United Nations play its role on Yemen," she said.

On Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged the UN to take actions to end the conflicts in Yemen at a meeting with visiting UN envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.

"The humanitarian situation in Yemen is catastrophic," Zarif said. "It is unacceptable that Yemen is being bombed and sieged."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the initiatives which bring all Yemeni groups to the negotiating table and believes that no country but the Yemeni groups should be present in the talks," Zarif was quoted as saying by semi-official Fars news agency.

Saudi Arabia has long accused Iran of arming and financing Houthi fighters, an accusation strongly rejected by Tehran. Endit