Arab coalition denies Iranian claims on evacuation of diplomat from Yemen
The Arab coalition denied statements
made by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian regarding the
evacuation of their ambassador to Yemen, Hassan Irloo, Al-Arabiya TV reported
on Wednesday.
Iran’s top
diplomat to Yemen died on Tuesday after reportedly contracting the coronavirus,
the country’s state TV said.
The Arab coalition spokesman Brig.
Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said the statements by the Iranian side are not surprising
and reflect the behavior of Iranian diplomacy.
Maliki said the coalition
facilitated the transfer of the Iranian diplomat for humanitarian
considerations in appreciation to diplomatic mediation from Oman and Iraq, in
less than 48 hours after the diplomat’s health
condition was reported.
Al-Maliki said that these “insulting
statements directed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contradict humanitarian
values and principles, and do not value the humanitarian and noble stance of
the coalition in evacuating the aforementioned from Sanaa to Basra (in Iraq).”
Al-Maliki indicated that the Joint
Forces Command of the coalition provided all the facilities and permits needed,
as well as logistical support for the C-130 medical evacuation aircraft
provided by the Iraqi Air Force.
The colonel mentioned that Irloo had
entered Yemen illegally and supported the chaos and fighting by the Houthi
militia.
He also noted that this is the
second evacuation to take place for an Iranian citizen involved in the fighting
in Yemen following that in 2019 of a member of the Iranian military ship Saviz
by the Royal Saudi Air Force.
The death of Irloo came after he was
recalled from war-torn Yemen for what Iran described as medical treatment.
The Wall Street Journal earlier
reported that Irloo was being removed from his post over growing strains
between Iran and the Houthis, who hold Yemen’s capital,
Sanaa.
The US State Department under
then-President Donald Trump had described Irloo as a member of Iran’s powerful
paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.