Tehran: Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran's
parliament, on Sunday accused Tehran's arch-foe Washington of
masterminding Saudi Arabia's bombing of Shiite Yemeni rebels,
parliament's website reported.
"The deplorable events in the Islamic nation of Yemen
which have intensified over the past two weeks and the Saudi
interference in Yemen through repeated bombings by warplanes
is astonishing," Larijani was quoted as telling deputies.
He accused the United States of being behind the bombing,
saying, "Reports indicated that the government of the United
States is cooperating in the oppressive measures."
Larijani's comments come less than a week after Sanaa
slammed Iranian "interference" in its affairs after Tehran
criticised regional intervention in Yemen's war with Shiite
rebels in a barely veiled allusion to Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni forces launched "Operation Scorched Earth" against
the Zaidi insurgents, also known as Huthis, in the north of
the country on August 11.
"In response to the remarks of (Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr) Mottaki, we affirm that Yemen categorically
rejects any interference in its internal affairs by any party
whatsoever," the official Saba news agency quoted a foreign
ministry spokesman as saying.
Mottaki told a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday that
"countries of the region must seriously hold back from
intervening in Yemen's internal affairs."
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009, 20:31