Iran calls for political solution in Yemen

Visiting special envoy of the Iranian president, Morteza Sarmadi, stressed on Wednesday that his country encourages all concerned parties in Yemen to launch a dialogue to end the crisis, media reported.

Following a meeting with Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Sarmadi stressed Iran's call for a halt to the Saudi-led military operation against Yemen's Houthi rebels, suggesting "holding dialogue in a neutral location with the participation of all Yemeni political factions to reach an agreement on a national government", Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported

The Iranian official arrived in Lebanon on Wednesday to hold a series of meetings with Lebanese officials on Tehran's expected agreement with the West of its controversial nuclear programme.

"A strategic mistake took place against Yemen," Xinhua news agency cited NNA as quoting Sarmadi following the meeting with Lebanon's Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.

He said all countries that were keen for the regional interests must go hand in hand settle the crisis and cease the military operations to find a mechanism for dialogue among the Yemeni people.

"The political solution will end the crisis while the military solution will only worsen the situation," Sarmadi said, adding that "the claims that the airstrikes are aimed at restoring legitimacy are not based on any international resolution".

At least 549 people have been killed and 1,707 wounded in the fighting in Yemen since March 19, according to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The figures represent a minimum, as they were based on records kept from March 19 to April 3, Efe news agency cited WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier as saying at a press conference on Tuesday.

He clarified that 217 of the fatalities and 516 of the wounded were civilians.