Yemen confirms severing ties with Iran

he Yemeni presidency confirmed Saturday news reports about severing its diplomatic ties with Iran, to end the contradiction occurred between the Yemeni Foreign Ministry and the Cabinet.

Citing the Yemeni presidency, state news agency Saba said Yemen "has taken the decision to expel the Iranian ambassador to Yemen, withdraw the Yemeni envoy to Tehran and close down its diplomatic mission in Iran."

The report stated that a presidency source had said the move was in protest against Tehran's "continued interference in the internal affairs of Yemen and violation of its national sovereignty."

The source cited a recent seizure of an Iranian fishing boat loaded with arms. The Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling Houthi militias in Yemen since March, had detained the ship last week.

Meantime, Yemen's Foreign Minister Riad Yassin confirmed on Friday the news.

Yemen's President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi fiercely criticized Iran during a speech he delivered on September 29, before the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, saying Tehran's interference in his country's affairs impeded all the measures that Yemen has taken for political transition of power according to the Gulf States' initiative.

Source: MENA