'Attacking aid ship to Yemen will spark war'

Tehran, May 13: A senior Iranian commander on Wednesday warned against any attempt to target Iran’s aid ship to Yemen, saying that attacking the ship will start a war in the region. Saudi Arabia, the US, and their allies should refrain from blocking Iran’s humanitarian aid to Yemen, Deputy Chief of the Iran’s Armed Forces Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri was quoted as saying by Press TV.

“I clearly announce that the self-restraint of Iran has its limits,” Jazayeri told the Arabic Al-Alam TV channel, adding that attacking Iran’s aid ship to Yemen would “ignite the flames of war” in the region which Saudi Arabia and its allies cannot stop.

On Monday, an Iranian aid ship, called Rescue Ship and containing 2,500 tonnes of food supplies and medicine, left the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas for Yemen. The ship was bound to the Yemeni port of Hodeidah through the Sea of Oman, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

On board the ship, there are 15 medical staff, 13 media representatives, and seven anti-war activists from the US, France and Germany plus the crew members, according to the report. Iran said it was coorditing with the Intertiol Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Authority of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Djibouti. Iran had already warned that it would not allow a Saudi-led coalition to intercept the ship. Last month, fighter jets of the Saudi-led coalition intercepted an Iranian plane over the Yemeni sky and destroyed the runway of Saa airport to prevent it from landing.

Iran said the plane was carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen. Saudi Arabia has long been accusing Iran of arming and fincing Houthi fighters, an accusation strongly rejected by Tehran. The captain of the aid ship, Masoud Qazi Mirsaeed, said that the ship would arrive at its destition on May 20 provided that the weather condition is good, Iranian Tasnim news agency reported. (IANS)