Iran and Sweden exchange views on mediating a ceasefire, ending the blockade against Yemen
TEHRAN – Peter Semneby, Sweden’s special envoy for Yemen, held talks on Saturday with Ali Asghar Khaji, senior adviser to the Iranian foreign minister on special political issues, and discussed joint cooperation to resolve the long-running conflict in Yemen.
Semneby and Khaji also reviewed the latest developments in Yemen nationally and internationally.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, an end to the Saudi blockade against Yemen, peace mediation and the prevention of oil spills from the FSO Safer tanker were the cornerstone of the talks between the Iranian and Swedish diplomats.
The senior adviser to the Iranian Foreign Minister reiterated Tehran’s long-standing position to resolve the crisis in the country through political dialogue, intra-Yemeni dialogue and the formation of an inclusive government involving all political groups and groups and parties.
The Swedish envoy also said that Iran can play a leading role in mediating peace in Yemen and the wider region, and pointed to the UN’s efforts to mediate a ceasefire, end the economic blockade and resume political dialogue.
According to CNN, the “increasingly likely” possibility of a massive oil spill from the rotting tanker stranded in the Red Sea could disrupt the supply of clean water to the equivalent of more than 9 million people, according to a new study.
The tanker – which contains 1.1? million barrels of oil, or more than four times the amount spilled in 1989 by Exxon Valdez 2 – has been “deserted” off the coast of Yemen since 2015 and continues to deteriorate.
Yemen has been under Saudi-led air and land attacks since March 2015. The attack has caused the worst humanitarian crisis in modern history.