TEHRAN – Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior foreign policy advisor to the Iranian Parliament speaker, has condemned Riyadh for continuing to bomb women and children in Yemen, even during the Eid al Adha.

“During #EidAlAdha, the Saudi rulers, relying on US terrorist leaders, continue to bomb women & children in #Yemen, back death penalty for youths in #Bahrain, feed terrorists in the region, aid and abet US in sanctioning people in #Syria & #Lebanon, AND make friendship w/Tel Aviv,” Amir Abdollahian tweeted on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia launched a military campaign against Yemen in March 2015 with the aim of eliminating the Yemeni opposition groups who had toppled the government of President Mansour Hadi.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had vowed to restore the toppled president in a matter of weeks.

In a report on its website on March 24, Amnesty International said, “Gross human rights violations, including what could amount to war crimes, are being committed throughout the country. By the end of 2019, it is estimated that over 233,000 Yemenis would have been killed as a result of fighting and the humanitarian crisis.”

Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented more than 20,000 civilians killed and injured by the fighting since March 2015, the amnesty said. 

A man-made humanitarian crisis has spiraled with approximately 16 million people waking up hungry every day, the amnesty regretted.

Last month, Iran called on the United Nations to stop Riyadh’s atrocities “by any means possible”.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on July 17 expressed regret that the Saudi-led military forces are continuing their war crimes in Yemen “under the international community’s silence and indifference”.

He called on international human rights bodies to prevent the continuation of such crimes by the Saudi fighter jets against Yemen by any means possible. 

“The countries providing arms for the forces that have invaded Yemen, which have caused the slaughter of the Yemeni women and children by supplying them (aggressors) with destructive bombs and weapons, are accomplice in these crimes and must be held accountable for such support before the international community and the people of Yemen,” the spokesman said.

MH/PA