An Iranian Plane Arrives Directly in the Capital of Yemen

The Secretary-General of the Public Relations of the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced the arrival of an Iranian plane in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, on Sunday, March 1. Mohammad Rahimi stated in an interview with the Central News Unit that 'Mahan Airlines requested a flight to Yemen, which the Civil Aviation Organization exceptionally approved,' emphasizing that 'this was not a passenger flight.' He added that 'some news agencies reported the establishment of an Iran-Yemen flight route, which is false.' On Sunday, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported, citing 'an informed Iranian official,' that a direct flight route between Tehran and Sana'a had been launched and that 'the first flight carrying humanitarian and medical aid to Yemen' arrived at noon on March 1. The Al-Mayadeen TV network, quoting the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Yemen, also reported that the first Iranian plane entering Sana'a Airport was carrying medical aid from the Iranian Red Crescent for the Yemeni Red Crescent. The official Yemeni news agency (Saba), which has been managed by the Shia Houthi group for some time, also reported on Sunday that a celebration would be held to mark the arrival of the Iranian plane in Sana'a. The report also added that the Yemeni Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority and the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization signed a memorandum of understanding regarding air transport, allowing Yemeni and Mahan Airlines to operate direct flights between the two countries. The Houthi Shia in Yemen, supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran, have taken control of the city and the Yemeni government after seizing government buildings in Sana'a. The Houthis had also placed Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi under house arrest for a time, but he was released following international pressure. After his release, the president moved to the city of Aden in the south of the country. Reports indicate that following this event, several Arab countries have moved their embassies to Aden in support of the Yemeni president. France's news agency reported that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait are among these countries. The United States and the United Kingdom have also closed their embassies in Sana'a but have not yet moved them to Aden. However, the Naba TV network reported that Yemen's Ansar Allah considered the reopening of the embassies of Gulf Arab countries in Aden as 'insignificant' and a 'conspiracy' against the country. The Gulf Cooperation Council Arab countries still recognize Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi as the legitimate president of Yemen and support him. These countries had previously requested the United Nations Security Council to authorize military operations in Yemen under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. This request came at a time when the United States has been conducting operations against al-Qaeda members in the country with the permission of the Yemeni government and through drone strikes for years. In the latest instance of these attacks, the Associated Press reported the killing of three suspected al-Qaeda members in Shabwa province due to an American drone strike on Saturday.