Iran Agrees to UN Inspection of Aid Ship

DUBAI, May 20 (Reuters) – Iran will permit the United Nations to examine a Yemen-bound support ship on the regional U.N. hub in Djibouti, Tehran’s deputy international minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday, providing an opportunity to avert a showdown with Saudi-led forces.

Earlier within the day, the Iran Shahed’s captain had mentioned the ship was resulting from enter the Bab al-Mandeb strait linking the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, bypassing Djibouti on the Horn of Africa and heading for the Yemeni port of Hodaida.

“We have decided to dock our ship in Djibouti so the United Nations inspection protocol can take place,” Hossein Amir Abdollahian was quoted as saying by the ISNA information company.

Iran backs the dominant Houthi militia in Yemen’s civil warfare whereas Saudi Arabia, Tehran’s regional arch-rival, sees the Houthis as a menace and is main air strikes on them to attempt to roll again their advances and reinstate Yemen’s exiled president.

Iran has mentioned the ship is carrying humanitarian support for Yemeni civilians. Hodaida’s port is underneath Houthi management.

The Saudi-led coalition controls the waters round Yemen and has enforced inspections on all shipments coming into the nation. It was not clear whether or not Saudi forces would permit the Iran Shahed to dock in Yemen even after a U.N. inspection.

Abdollahian mentioned Iran would ship a flight to Djibouti on Thursday, additionally containing support for Yemen, in an additional sign that Tehran would possibly start to channel all support by way of the U.N. hub.

The Saudi-led coalition blocked Tehran’s earlier makes an attempt to fly support immediately into Yemen’s capital Sanaa, on one event bombing the runway to forestall an Iranian flight from touchdown. (Reporting by Sam Wilkin; Editing by Mark Heinrich)