TEHRAN - Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi charge d’affaires on Friday to protest Riyadh’s interception of two Iranian planes carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, the students news agency ISNA reported on Saturday.

Two Iranian cargo planes carrying food and medicine to Yemen had been forced by Saudi jets to leave the Yemeni airspace, one on Thursday and another on Friday.

“Unfortunately, Saudi fighter jets have blocked two Iranian planes, which were carrying wounded Yemenis who had been treated in Iran and also carrying humanitarian and medical aid, from landing in Yemen and forced them to return home,” ISNA quoted an unnamed Iranian official as telling the Saudi diplomat.

“This is a brazen interference in Yemen’s state affairs and also a violation of Yemen’s airspace.”

The United States and Saudi Arabia have accused Iran of arming revolutionaries in Yemen. Iran denies this and has repeatedly called for a political solution to restore peace in Yemen.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry also had complained to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) over Riyadh’s move.

“The Iranian planes had the necessary permissions for flying the Oman-Yemen air route and had fully coordinated the plan with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent societies,” Tasnim quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying on Thursday.

An announcement on Tuesday by Saudi Arabia that it was ending a month- long air strikes on Yemen was welcomed by Tehran, however Riyadh resumed air strikes and ground fighting a few hours later.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has described the humanitarian situation in Yemen as “catastrophic.”

MD/P