Daily Times

Iran offered its support on Tuesday for a ceasefire plan put forward by rebels it backs in Yemen’s war, saying it could be an “appropriate platform” for ending the conflict. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Huthi “plan contained a strong message of determination to end the war”. “If there is serious and positive interaction with (the plan), it could provide an appropriate platform for ending” the conflict, he said in a statement. The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Huthis seized the capital Sanaa the year before, and it has enforced an air and sea blockade of rebel-held areas since 2016. “We hope that on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan, by prioritising humanitarian issues and advancing the exchange of prisoners, we will see an end to the conflict and witness national reconciliation in Yemen,” Khatibzadeh said. The Yemen war has killed hundreds of thousands of people directly or indirectly and displaced millions, creating what the United Nations has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council this month proposed hosting talks between Yemen’s warring factions in Riyadh, from March 29 to April 7.