Iranian Ship Unloads Humanitarian Aid For Yemen in UN Aid Hub in Djibouti

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Iranian ship with humanitarian aid for Yemen on Saturday unloaded its cargo in the port of Djibouti after being denied entry to Yemeni ports, the ship’s captain, Masoud Qazi Mir-Saeed, told Sputnik.

"The humanitarian aid, weighing 2,500 tons, was unloaded, and after its transfer to international agencies the ship will depart back to Iran," the captain said.

According to him, the aid will be delivered from Djibouti to Yemen under the UN supervision by air or on another ship.

On May 12, the Iran Shahed vessel, carrying food, medicine and basic supplies collected by the Iranian Red Crescent Society, departed to the Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodaida.

Following the ship’s departure, Gen. Ahmed Asiri, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition that has been bombing Houthi rebel positions in Yemen since late March, said the Iranian ship had been warned that access to Yemeni ports would be denied, so it had to redirect to the UN aid distribution center in Djibouti.

The coalition claims Iran is providing military assistance to Shiite Houthi rebels who have captured vast parts of Yemen.

On Monday, the Saudi-led coalition resumed airstrikes on Yemen after a five-day humanitarian pause, during which international agencies assisted local residents and evacuated the injured.

More than 1,850 people have been killed and over 7,400 have been injured in Yemen since the armed conflict in the country escalated in March, according to recent UN estimates.