Iranian top aide urges end to Yemen blockade, says West Asia not ‘backyard of West’
Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, has called for an end to the 11-year blockade of Yemen, praising the country’s Ansarullah resistance movement for its support for the Palestinian cause and the people of Gaza.
In a post on X marking the anniversary of the demise of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) on Tuesday, Velayati said Yemen and Ansarullah had defended the Muslim community and Gaza “with sincere faith and conviction”, adding that any harm inflicted on them would amount to harm to the wider Muslim community, Iran’s English-language Press TV reports.
He further called for the lifting of the blockade on Yemen, describing the country as a key component of the “resistance front”.
Velayati also rejected the idea that West Asia should fall under the influence of outside powers, saying the region is “neither the backyard of the West nor the sphere of influence of any other power”.
He urged Saudi Arabia to change its approach towards Yemen and instead support Palestine and the Palestinian cause.
“Saudi Arabia should, rather than continuing pressure on Yemen, defend Palestine and the Palestinian cause and learn from the costly and unwise policies of the United States,” Velayati said.