Iranian cleric blames US for tragic situation in Yemen

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Tehran Friday prayers’ leader Hojjatoleslam Hassan Aboutorabi Fard lashed out at Washington for adopting destructive policies in the Middle East, underling that the US is the main culprit behind humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Hojjatoleslam Aboutorabi Fard referred to the US as the Great Satan responsible for the catastrophic situation in Yemen.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he called the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman as a puppet in the hands of the Americans.

The senior cleric further noted that the Resistance Front led by Iran is standing against plots designed by the hegemonic powers for the region in line with the teachings of Ashura.

Had it not been for Ashura school of thought, the victories in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen would not have been achieved, said Aboutorabi Fard.

He then said that the Ashura school of thought has helped the Islamic Republic to flourish over the past forty years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

His remarks came a few days after the anniversary of the Martyrdom of Imam Hossain (PBUH) in the battle of Karbala on Ashura Day.

“Had it not been for Ashura school of thought, the Islamic Revolution would not have taken place, and we would not have successfully passed the difficult time of Sacred Defense (during Iran-Iraq war). Had it not been for the Ashura school of thought, today's victorious Syria, strong Iraq, resistant Lebanon, standing and patient Bahrain and glorious and proud Yemen would not have been so,” he stressed.

Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen since March 2015 to restore power to fugitive president Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh. The Saudi-led aggression has so far killed more than 20,000 Yemenis, including hundreds of women and children. Despite Riyadh's claims that it is bombing the positions of the Ansarullah fighters, Saudi bombers are flattening residential areas and civilian infrastructures.

Yemen is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with more than 22 million people in need and is seeing a spike in needs, fueled by ongoing conflict, a collapsing economy and diminished social services and livelihoods. The blockade on Yemen has smothered humanitarian deliveries of food and medicine to the import-dependent state.

The UN has repeatedly criticized the Saudi-UAE-led military coalition's bombing campaign and placed it on a blacklist of child rights violators last year.

A UN panel has also compiled a detailed report of civilian casualties caused by the Saudi military and its allies during their war against Yemen, saying the Riyadh-led coalition has used precision-guided munitions in its raids on civilian targets.

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