Senior MP rejects claims about arms shipment to Yemen

A senior Iranian legislator categorically denied the recent accusations about Tehran's arms shipment to Yemen as baseless. "The claims that Iran sends weapons to Yemen are sheer lies," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Avaz Heidarpour said in an interview with the parliament's news website on Wednesday. He said there is no reason for Iran to send arms to Yemen, and added, "The major arms supplier to Sanaa is Saudi Arabia." "Given its sea borders with Yemen, the al-Saud is the most important supplier of arms to the country," Heidarpour said. In relevant remarks on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Araqchi also strongly rejected recent claims by Yemen's foreign minister about Iran's interference in the Arab country's affairs. Expressing surprise at Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi's recent remarks about the smuggling of Iranian arms to Yemen, Araqchi rejected the claims as baseless and said, "Unfortunately, the Yemeni foreign minister speaks like the previous government that was overthrown by the people of Yemen." The Iranian official reiterated Tehran's respect for Yemen's sovereignty and unity, adding that Iran has never withheld any effort to help the Arab country's calm and development. It is not the first time that Yemen has made unfounded claims about Iranian interference in its domestic affairs.