52 Yemeni Injured Persons Transferred to IRGC Hospital in Tehran

According to the state news agency IRNA, 52 people injured in suicide bombings on Friday in the capital of Yemen have been transferred to the 'Baqiyatallah' hospital in Tehran, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. Suleiman Heydari, head of the Iranian medical team dispatched to Yemen, stated that the condition of 6 of these injured individuals, who were transferred to Iran on Tuesday, is 'critical.' Mr. Heydari also reported that the Islamic Republic has sent 24 tons of medicine to Yemen and dispatched a 6-member medical team to the country, which returned to Iran with the 52 Yemeni injured. Three suicide bombings on Friday, March 19, in mosques in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, where the Shia Houthi worshippers gather, resulted in the deaths of at least 142 people and injuries to dozens more. According to the Associated Press, a group claiming to be a branch of the 'Islamic State' in Yemen has taken responsibility for these bombings. Following these explosions, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, announced on Saturday that a 'specialized team of surgeons and volunteers' from Iran is ready to be dispatched to Sana'a to treat the injured on-site. Meanwhile, Abdul Wahab Saad, head of the Yemeni medical team that traveled with these 52 patients to Tehran, stated: 'Several countries such as Iran, Oman, and even Saudi Arabia expressed readiness to accept the injured, with about 40 of them being transferred to Oman and 52 to Iran.' He added: 'Saudi Arabia also expressed readiness to provide treatment and assistance to Yemen, but Yemeni officials rejected this help, believing that Saudi Arabia sought to divert public opinion from its behind-the-scenes role in the recent events in Yemen by requesting the transfer of Yemeni injured to this country.' Sana'a, the capital of Yemen where the explosions occurred, and the northern regions of the country are controlled by the Shia Houthi rebels. Yemeni officials have repeatedly asked Iran to cease 'training and financial support' for the Houthi rebels. Iran has denied allegations of supporting the Houthis. Nevertheless, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated on Sunday: 'It is expected that Mansour Hadi, the resigned president, instead of repeating mistakes, plays a constructive role to prevent the disintegration of Yemen and the transformation of Aden into a new paradise for terrorists.' A day before these statements, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen, who had moved from Sana'a to Aden following the Houthi rebellion, accused the Shia rebels of importing ideology from Tehran and emphasized that he would fight against what he termed 'Iran's influence.' In this context, the capture of Yemen's third-largest city by Shia rebels highlights Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's emphasis on fighting against 'Iran's influence' in Yemen, with 142 people killed in the 'Islamic State' attacks on mosques in Sana'a.