The Islamic Republic of Iran sent a ship conveying international
humanitarian staff and supplies from its Southern port city, Bandar Abbas,
towards Yemen, which has been massively destructed by its Saudi neighbor.
The Nejat (Rescue) cargo ship, which contains 2,500 tons of
much-needed aid, including food, medical supplies and tents, was directed
towards Yemen on Monday.
The aid shipment
was donated by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS).
The ship will sail
through the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of
Aden. After its arrival in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the vessel will enter
the Red Sea and is set to unload its cargo in southern Yemeni city of Aden or
al-Hudaydah port.
Iranian officials said
the ship would reach Yemen within the next 10 to 12 days.
They added that Iran
has made the necessary coordination with the Yemeni Red Crescent Society as
well as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and held
consultations with the Red Crescent Society of Saudi Arabia, Oman, and
Djibouti to dispatch the cargo ship.
Previously, Saudi Arabia blocked Iranian aid deliveries to
Yemen.
The Saudi regime had
forced an Iranian cargo plane carrying medical aid and food for crisis-hit
people in Yemen to return, on April 28.
The Iranian
aircraft, which had earlier received permits from Omani and Yemeni aviation
officials to cross into Yemen’s airspace, could not land at the international
airport in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, as Saudi warplanes were violently
striking the runway of the civil airport.
This incident
occurred just a week after the Saudi fighter jets intercepted an Iranian airplane,
carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, and prevented it from entering the Yemeni
airspace on April 22.
