Tehran calls the allegation baseless

Iran has rejected as "baseless" a European Union claim that it is interfering in the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, escalating a diplomatic row with Brussels. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said on Thursday that the allegation, made by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, could not be sustained, and accused the bloc of complicity in human rights violations in Yemen through sanctions and an economic blockade. Kallas had said Iran militarily supports Yemeni armed forces in what she described as a violation of several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Denial over military experts

Baqaei also denied reports that Iranian military experts are present in Yemen, saying such claims were being spread to conceal facts and divert public attention. The denial was reported by Iranian state media and by the Tasnim news agency on Friday. The EU has not publicly responded to Baqaei's remarks, and the underlying question of Iranian support for Yemeni forces remains disputed between the two sides.

Call for an end to attacks

Baqaei condemned attacks on civilian facilities, infrastructure and residential areas in Yemen, saying they had killed more than 270 people, including 130 women and children, and injured more than 650 others. Those casualty figures come from the Iranian spokesman and have not been independently verified. He said peace required an end to military attacks, respect for the Yemeni people's right to self-determination, the lifting of the naval and aerial blockade, and dialogue based on a roadmap agreed by Yemenis and Saudi Arabia.