Iran: Bloodshed can't solve Yemen conflict

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi says Tehran believes 'political solutions' can resolve problems in Yemen, adding that bloodshed should not be an option.

“We have good relations with Yemen and believe that the incidents in the northwestern Saada province are among Yemen's internal affairs,” Qashqavi said at his weekly press conference on Monday.

“The conflict can be resolved through political solutions,” the spokesman added while rejecting allegations about Iran's involvement in the conflict.

A Yemeni security official earlier claimed that military forces have seized Iranian-made weapons from Shia rebels fighting in the country.

Qashqavi went on to add that the Tehran government supports Yemen's establishment and the country's territorial integrity.

Dozens of people have so far been killed, among them two Shia leaders, in clashes between fighters and the government forces in Yemen's northern areas.

Yemen's government officials has accused opposition groups of trying to reinstall a religious reign, toppled by a 1962 military coup in northern Yemen.

The army has been using its air and ground forces against the fighters who, on the other hand, say they are defending their people against the government.

The Huthis belong to the Zaydi branch of Shia Islam.