Iran Calls EU's Yemen Meddling Charge Baseless, Fires Back Over Blockade

Iran isn't taking the EU's accusation lying down. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Thursday that claims from EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas — who accused Tehran of meddling in the Saudi Arabia–Yemen conflict — are simply unfounded, according to Breaking The News.

Baghaei didn't stop at the denial. He flipped the charge back at Brussels, saying the EU is complicit in serious human rights violations in Yemen through its part in sanctions and the economic blockade weighing on the Yemeni people.

He also shot down the idea that Iranian military experts are operating inside Yemen. The Yemeni people, he argued, have already shown they have the capability, experience, courage and will to defend their national sovereignty and dignity — and need no outside party to step in.

On the path to calm, Baghaei laid out conditions rather than concessions. Peace on the Arabian Peninsula, he said, only comes with an end to military attacks, the lifting of the naval and air blockade on Yemen, and respect for Yemen's right to self-determination.

The exchange puts the EU and Iran at fresh odds over a war that has drawn in regional powers for years. Kallas's allegation and Tehran's sharp rebuttal now set the terms of the next round: whether Brussels presses the accusation further or answers the blockade charge.