Iran to report Yemen embassy bombing to UN Council

“During an air raid by Saudi Arabia against Sanaa, a rocket fell near our embassy and unfortunately one of our guards was seriously wounded”, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said.

General Ahmed Asseri, speaking for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, said it would investigate the accusation.

Asseri acknowledged that coalition jets carried out heavy airstrikes in Sana’a on Wednesday night, targeting missile launchers used by the Houthi militia.

The Iranian media believes Djibouti, Sudan and Bahrain sympathized with Saudi Arabia to sanction Iran after protests against the execution of a Shiite cleric followed by the attack on Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Tehran.

Thousands of Iranians held anti-Saudi protests across the country on January 8 condemning Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric that has sparked renewed tensions between the two regional rivals.

Since 2014, Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Shiite Houthi rebels, the country’s main opposition force.

Human rights organisations have accused the Saudi-led coalition of indiscriminate bombing in Yemen.

On Thursday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming is visiting Saudi Arabia and will visit Iran.

A Sanaa resident went to the embassy on Thursday and reported no damage but said some shrapnel was strewn nearby.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran over the storming of its embassy in Tehran. Pakistan, which is a predominantly Sunni Muslim state but has a large Shiite minority, has expressed hope that Saudi Arabia and Iran will be able to normalize their relations. Qatar and Kuwait also their recalled ambassadors.

On Thursday, Iran announced a ban on importation of any products made in Saudi Arabia, the result of a cabinet meeting chaired by President Hassan Rouhani.