Video - War crimes 101 - Houthi Child Soldiers.

Testimonies from children who were taken by the Houthi Militia in Yemen to go fight in the southern port city of Aden. Those children were then captured by the Southern Resistance who treated them well and contacted the media and the ICRC to help return them to their families.

Video - Yemen: Hundreds of Saudi tanks roll out of Aden to bolster Hadi loyalists

Ground invasion starting n #Yemen. Be prepare 2cover d real war now https://t.co/JzmLa4oiW4 http://t.co/h3DufRFdrM … pic.twitter.com/EQr0qVCFWr

— Elijah J. Magnier (@EjmAlrai) August 4, 2015

@WTEpaminondas @BritsForIsrael @IsraelMatzav Why the king returned? https://t.co/6SGX41zYjC

— MFS - The Other News (@MFS001) August 4, 2015

Iranian ships in the Gulf branded ”illegitimate” by maritime intelligence.

Iranian ships in the Gulf branded ”illegitimate” by maritime intelligence. (NCRI).

The activities of Iranian ships 'posing as merchant vessels' in the waters of the Middle East is illegitimate, the Windward maritime intelligence agency has warned.

The movement of ships is 'neither logical nor economical' and suggests there is a sovereign, not a commercial interest at stake, the agency said.

A recent article in the Financial Times noted that over the past week, Saudi Arabian and US warships have closely tracked the Iran Shahed, a 3,000-tonne Iranian cargo vessel heading to Yemen and escorted by two Revolutionary Guard destroyers was increasing geopolitical tensions in the Gulf.

The FT said: "Riyadh fears the Shahed is laden with arms to bolster Yemen’s Houthi rebellion, drawing the Saudis and their allies deeper into a bloody backyard conflict they can ill-afford to lose.

"But Tehran appears to have scored something of a propaganda coup by announcing on Thursday that it would allow UN inspectors to verify the humanitarian contents of the ship, presumably to show that Saudi concerns are unfounded."

The Shahed’s voyage had followed months of suspicious shipping activity between Iran and Yemen amid mounting claims from regional western diplomats and intelligence officials of Tehran’s complicity in the Yemeni civil war, the FT said.

It added: "Maritime data obtained by the Financial Times show that at least four large cargo ships, with a combined capacity of more than 15,000 tonnes, made a series of highly unusual and undeclared trips between Iran and Yemeni ports controlled by the Houthis in the first few months of this year.”

The report said: "While the cargo of the four ships cannot be verified, their pattern of behaviour is nevertheless striking.”

"All four undertook voyages to transport cargo from the port of Bandar Abbas in Iran to Yemen’s Houthi-controlled port of Al Hodeida – a route none had plied before – after the Houthi capture of Sana’a in January. The ships changed their ensigns, turned off their tracking devices at key points during their voyages, registered false information in international shipping logs and met unidentified craft mid-ocean."

It quoted Windward chief executive Ami Daniel as saying: "If you look at any one piece of these ships’ activities by itself it might seem legitimate, but if you look at all of it together, there’s no way it can be.

"The problem is that no one sees all of this data normally. We are the only ones who have compiled it all. This has been going on under the noses of Nato patrols in the Gulf."

In one example, a 7,000 cargo ship left South-east Asia, its sole historical area of operation, in December 2014, after changing its identity and registered domicile.

It arrived in Karachi in mid-January then departed at the end of the month, then turning off its tracking equipment and disappeared at sea for nine days, only to reappear in Iran’s Bandar Abbas in mid-February, where it was fully loaded.

It then left the same day and reappeared off the Yemeni coast, outside the Al Houthi-controlled port of Al Hodeida on February 23. It remained anchored in Yemeni waters for a month, before heading back towards Iran.


Daniel added to the FT: "This behaviour is neither logical or economical -it indicates that there is a sovereign, not a commercial interest at stake."

Iran Shahed 'aid' ship Offloading Cargo in Djibouti...unusually large number of crew?

Iran Shahed 'aid' ship Offloading Cargo in Djibouti...unusually large number of crew? (UOI).

The Iranian cargo ship Iran Shahed carrying humanitarian aid for Yemen docked in Djibouti on Friday. A spokesman for World Food Program (WFP) said in Djibouti that the ship’s cargo will be offloaded and transferred to WFP-chartered vessels for shipment to Yemeni ports of Hodaydah and Aden. WFP partner organizations on the ground in Yemen will distribute the aid.

The arrangement with the UN agency ends an eleven-day saga for Iran Shahed. At first Iran had said the ship would be escorted by the Iranian warships and will head directly to the port of Hodaydah in Yemen, which is controlled by the Huthis. The move would have been a major challenge to the Saudi-led coalition blockade of the port. Senior Iranian military officers said at the time that Iran would not allow any inspection of the vessel. The deputy chief of Iranian armed forces went as far as declaring that attacking the ship will start a region-wide war.

On Monday, IRIN 34th deployed naval group, IRINS Alborz (72), a frigate, and Bandar Abbas (421), a replenishment ship, linked up with Iran Shahed and began escorting it toward Yemeni territorial waters. On Wednesday, Iran reversed course and said the ship will be docked in Djibouti instead for inspection by UN personnel, presumably heading to Hodaydah after inspection to deliver the aid. The ship was expected to be greeted by a huge pro-Huthi crowd at the port. On Friday the vessel docked in Djibouti. And now the vessel's cargo is being offloaded in Djibouti and being transferred to WFP-chartered vessels for shipment to Yemeni ports of Hodaydah and Aden. The aid will then be distributed by WFP partner organizations inside Yemen.

It was not clear if the people on board, the medical staff, journalists, international activists, and the unusually large number of crew seen in the published photos, presumably to help distribute the aid in Yemen, would still go there or end their journey in Djibouti and fly back home. Hmmm.........'Little green Iranian men'?

Video - Houthis attack on Saudi Arabian border

HT and Source

3 Foreign Warships Sailing Near 'Iran Shahed' the Iranian Yemen-Bound Aid Cargo Vessel.

3 Foreign Warships Sailing Near 'Iran Shahed' the Iranian Yemen-Bound Aid Cargo Vessel. (Fars).

Three foreign warships have approached the Iranian aid cargo ship which is due to dock at Yemen's Hudayda port after undergoing UN inspections in Djibouti.

The Iranian cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen is now near the Djibouti port.

FNA reporter on the Iranian aid cargo vessel, Iran-Shahed, said the intention of the three forein warships is not clear yet.

The ship which was sent by the Iranian Red Crescent Society to Yemen on May 13, loaded with pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, will then head towards Yemen's al-Hudayda port after being inspected by the UN.

IRCS Managing Director Seyed Amir Mohsen Ziyaee announced Tuesday that the IRCS would send another ship with relief aid to Yemen soon.

"A 12,000-ton shipment of Iran's relief aids is being prepared to be dispatched to Yemen," Ziyaee said.

He noted that IRCS cargo planes carrying Iran' food aid will be dispatched to Djibouti where a relief aid center is set up in the coming days, and said, "Furthermore, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to set up a center in Salalah, Oman, in the coming days and as soon as it becomes ready, Iran's pharmaceutical aid will be sent (to Oman) through air."

The IRCS has been trying to dispatch humanitarian aid to Yemen through sea and air, but has so far been unable to do so due to Saudi Arabia's blockade of the war-ravaged country.

Related:  

Iran's Relief Cargo Plane Ready to Fly to Yemen

Iran agrees aid ship Iran Shahed to Yemen be inspected.

Iran agrees aid ship Iran Shahed to Yemen be inspected. (Taz).

Iran’s cargo ship carrying humanitarian aids will be inspected in Djibouti before berthing in Yemen.

The ship will be inspected by the UN in Djibouti and then will continue its way to Yemen ’s Hodeida port, the Islamic Republic’s semi-official Fars news agency reported May 20.

Iran was earlier opposing inspections, saying Tehran would not permit the countries involved in the Yemen civil war to inspect its cargo ship.

Meanwhile the Saudi Arabia-led coalition and Yemeni government have announced that will not permit the ship to enter Yemen waters before inspections.

The UN also has urged Iran to send its aid to the Yemeni people after coordination with the United Nations via Djibouti like all other aid donator countries.

The cargo ship, which reportedly carries 2500 metric tons of food and drug, is going ahead under support of the Iran ’s 34th naval fleet, which is present in the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Bab el-Mandab.


The ship was scheduled to arrive at the port of Hodeida on May 21.

Video - Yemeni media published a video allegedly showing transporting a SCUD to the Yemen -KSA border

Video - Iranian General Jazayeri Warns the U.S., Saudi Arabia Not to Send Aid to the Region

In an Iranian TV interview, Iranian Deputy Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen. Masoud Jazayeri threatened the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, saying: "There is a limit to Iran's self-restraint." Sending humanitarian aid to the region would "spark a strong fire, which they will not be able to extinguish," he said. An excerpt from the full interview was posted on the Internet, and then aired by Al-Alam TV with Arabic subtitles on May 13, 2015. The full interview has not yet been broadcast.

Iran: Humanitarian aid ship, M/V Iran Shahed will reach Yemeni port by Thursday

IRINS Alborz (72), an Alvand (Vosper MK5)-class frigate

Iran: Humanitarian aid ship, M/V Iran Shahed will reach Yemeni port by Thursday. (UOI).

Iran said its humanitarian aid ship, M/V Iran Shahed, has reached the Gulf of Aden en route to the Yemeni port of Hudaydah, the country’s largest, and is expected to reach its destination by Thursday 21 May.

The Iranian navy also announced its warship IRINS Alborz (72), an Alvand (Vosper MK5)-class frigate, will escort the cargo ship to Hudaydah.

The replenishment ship Bandar Abbas (421) is also accompanying Alborz. Iran is challenging the Saudi-led coalition power to inspect Yemen-bound ships to enforce UN arms embargo against the Huthis.

Iranian Navy Warships in Gulf of Aden Ready to Escort Iran's Aid Cargo Vessel to port city of al-Hudayda .

Iranian Navy Warships in Gulf of Aden Ready to Escort Iran's Aid Cargo Vessel to Yemen. (Fars).

The Iranian Navy's 34th Fleet in a message cabled to the country's cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen ensured the captain of the cargo ship that the Iranian warships are only a message away if any emergency case arises, and further offered to escort the vessel to its destination.

Iran Shahed, Iran's cargo ship carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, arrived in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday.

The Navy's 34th Fleet, comprising Alborz destroyer and Bushehr helicopter-carrier warship, is conducting anti-piracy patrols in the high seas and the Gulf of Aden.

The mission of the 34th fleet will last about three months in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

On Wednesday, Iranian destroyer, Alborz, locked its missile systems on an invading vessel in the Gulf of Aden after a high-speed boat left Yemen's coasts and rushed to attack it.

The Iranian destroyer's missile systems locked on the target after an invading high-speed boat appeared on the monitor screens of the radar systems in Alborz operations room.

According to reports, the invading vessel changed course and returned to the coast after the Iranian destroyer warned it would target the vessel in seconds.

"If the terrorists ignored our warning, they would be killed with the first bullets of Alborz," Commodore Hassan Maqsoudlou, the captain of Alborz destroyer, said.

He underlined that the Iranian Naval forces are prepared at any moment to defend the Islamic Iran's interests.

The incident took place as Iran's 34th fleet of warships is in the Gulf of Aden on an anti-piracy mission and as the naval fleets of the US and some other western countries have several times reduced their distance from the Iranian fleet in violation of the international rules.

The Iranian cargo ship will berth in the port city of al-Hudayda in Southern Yemen in the Red Sea after passing through Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Iran Shahed ship carrying 2,500 tons of Iran's aid comprising 2,400 tons of foodstuff and 100 tons of medicine as well as a 12-member medical team left Southern Iran for Yemen last Monday.

A large number of Yemeni people are waiting on the coasts of Hudayda to welcome the Iranian cargo ship.

The residents of al-Hudayda have gathered on the coasts since a few days ago to receive Iran's medical and food aid.

The people of Hudayda have called on residents of other Yemeni provinces to stage rallies in support of Iran's aid ship to Yemen and condemning Saudi Arabia and its hostile policies towards their country.

Senior Iranian MP: Iran Not to Allow Inspection by anyone of Aid Ship to Yemen.

Source.

Senior Iranian MP: Iran Not to Allow Inspection by anyone of Aid Ship to Yemen. (Fars).

A senior Iranian lawmaker underlined that no other country is allowed to inspect Iran's aid cargo ship heading towards Yemen.

"We send Iran's relief aid ship to Yemen and will not allow any foreign power to inspect or stop it," Rapporteur of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Seyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said, addressing a pre-sermon speech at Tehran's Friday Prayers today.

He, meantime, rejected the allegations that Iran interferes in Yemen's internal affairs, and said, "The enemies know that if we had intended to interfere in Yemen the Al Saud regime would have vanished in the first week" (of their aggression against Yemen).

On Wednesday, a senior Iranian health official announced that the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) sent a ship loaded with pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to Yemen.

"A ship carrying a 12-member medical team from Iran as well as over 100 tons of the country's aid comprising medicine and medical equipment was dispatched to Yemen on Wednesday morning," IRCS Deputy Managing Director Seyed Reza Rais Karami told reporters.

The IRCS has been trying to dispatch humanitarian aid to Yemen through sea and air, but has so far been unable to do so due to Saudi Arabia's blockade of the war-ravaged country.

On Monday, an Iranian ship the 'Iran Shahed' carrying humanitarian aid supplies, relief workers and peace activists from several countries left the Southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas for Yemen.

"We are a group of relief workers, physicians and peace activists from the US, Europe and Germany. We are a part of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Red Crescent Society. We are trying to bring medical stuff, flour and water for the Yemeni people," a statement issued by 7 anti-war activists aboard the ship said.

Iran Says Humanitarian Aid Delivery Coordinated with UN.

Iran Says Humanitarian Aid Delivery Coordinated with UN. HT: UOI.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said today that the delivery of aid to Yemen and docking of the Iranian cargo ship, Iran Shahed, at a Yemeni port have now been coordinated with the UN, Iranian official news agency IRNA reported.

Iran had previously said its navy needed to escort the aid vessel.

Coordination with the UN would eliminate such need and Iran would avoid challenging Saudi-led blockade of Yemeni ports and the risk of a naval confrontation.

"CHANGE" - Iran not to permit its aid ship’s inspection.

"CHANGE" - Iran not to permit its aid ship’s inspection. (Taz).

Iran will not permit the countries involved in the Yemen civil war to inspect its cargo ship carrying humanitarian aids to Yemen, the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham said May 13.

This is while it was already announced that Tehran is ready for full inspection of the ship in any port of any country.

“If someone has doubts about Iran ’s humanitarian aid to Yemen, Iran welcomes their inspection, an official with the Islamic Republic’s Red Crescent Society (IRCS) based on the ship said May 12.

Meanwhile Afkham emphasized that the Saudi Arabia-led coalition members cannot inspect the ship.

The Iranian official also criticized the blockade on Yemen, saying the blockade has forced the country into a humanitarian catastrophe, Iran ’s Tasnim news agency reported.

The Iranian cargo ship carrying 2,500 metric tons of humanitarian aid including food and medicine left Iran ’s southern Bandar Abbas port on May 11 to the Yemeni port of Hodeida.

The ship also carries rescue workers from the Iran 's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) as well as some 20 journalists.

The Iranian Navy’s 34th fleet, which is present in the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Bab el-Mandab, has been commissioned to protect the Islamic Republic’s ship.

Earlier Saudi Arabia ’s military spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri said that Saudi forces have the right to inspect the Iranian aid ship before it reaches a Yemeni port.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri has threatened that attacking the Iranian aid ship will “ignite the flames of war” in the region.Hmmmm.....Of course we lied....we're Iranians.

Related:

The U.S. said today the Iranian ship carrying aid to Yemen should change course and head to Djibouti where the United Nations is overseeing humanitarian deliveries to Yemen. The U.S. Navy is tracking the ship after Iran said it would send warships to escort the vessel to Yemen, said Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren.

“The Iranians have stated that this is humanitarian aid,” Warren said. “If that is the case, then we certainly encourage the Iranians to deliver that humanitarian aid to the United Nations humanitarian aid distribution hub, which has been established in Djibouti.” (AFP, 12 May)

“We call on the Iranians to do the right thing here and deliver their humanitarian aid in accordance with UN protocols which is through the distribution hub,” Warren said.

“If the Iranians are planning some sort of stunt in the region, they know as well as we do that it would be unhelpful and in fact could potentially threaten the ceasefire that has been so painstakingly brought about,” Warren said.

Iran using 'Gaza Ark' script for 'humanitarian' aid to Yemen, Iranian Navy safeguarding ship.

Iranian Navy safeguarding Iranian ship carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen. (IMRA).


TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA - MEHR News Agency) – Caleb Maupin, one of the passengers of humanitarian aid ship heading to Yemen, writes about his objectives and intentions for taking part in humanitarian mission being carried out by the Red Crescent Society of Iran.

Why I'm Aboard The Rescue Ship - A Message from Caleb Maupin in the Persian Gulf*

My name is Caleb Maupin, and I am a radical journalist and political analyst. I am also an anti-war activist working with the International Action Center, Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST), and the United National Anti-War Committee.

I am 27 years old and I grew up in Ohio. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York with my loving spouse Meches. However, as you receive this message I am thousands of miles away from home, on a ship in the Persian Gulf.

Why am I out at sea on the other side of the world? I am part of a humanitarian mission being carried out by the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran. We are attempting to bring medical supplies, flour, and water to the people of Yemen.

On board the Rescue Ship with me are other peace activists from the US, Germany, and France, as well as many doctors and a few journalists from Iran. We intend to deliver our cargo of over 2,500 tons of food and medical supplies to the port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.

Everything on the ship has been carefully checked to make sure that NOTHING that could be considered a weapon is on board. This is a mission of peace, carried out by the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a non-governmental organization recognized by the United Nations.

Iranian jets attempted to deliver medical aid on April 28th. They were cleared for landing by the Yemeni airports, but before they could touch down, they were repelled by Saudi fighter jets.

Blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid is an extreme violation of international law. As our craft propels itself through the Persian Gulf, we are loudly urging that no one interfere with this peaceful humanitarian mission.

Tehran, May 12, IRNA – Iranian Navy is safeguarding 'Iran Shahed' ship, the Iranian vessel carrying humanitarian supplies to the war-stricken people of Yemen, according to Rear Admiral Hossein Azad, the commander of the first zone of the Navy.

Iran Shahed ship left the Port of Shahid Rajaei in southern Iran for Yemen after loading humanitarian supplies in the Iranian commercial port on Monday.

Airstrikes on Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition have killed and wounded thousands of innocent people of the country so far.

Rear Admiral Azad told IRNA that the 34th fleet of the navy, which is present in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, provides special support for Iranian vessels carrying humanitarian aid.

This fleet escorts Iranian commercial vessels and tankers, and also safeguards ships from other nations whenever deemed necessary, Azad said, citing the saving of a ship owned by Hong Kong from pirates by the 34th fleet of the Iranian Navy. Hmmmm.....It's pretty obvious Iran is using the 'Gaza Ark' script for it's 'humanitarian' cargo to Yeman.

'Tehran Ark' - Iranian 'Humanitarian' Aid Ship Heads towards Yemen.

'Tehran Ark' - Iranian 'humanitarian' Aid Ship Heads towards Yemen. (Fars).

An Iranian ship carrying humanitarian aid supplies, relief workers and peace activists from several countries left the Southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas for Yemen on Monday.

"We are a group of relief workers, physicians and peace activists from the US, Europe and Germany. We are a part of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Red Crescent Society. We are trying to bring medical stuff, flour and water for the Yemeni people," a statement issued by 7 anti-war activists aboard the ship said on Monday.

"A large number of physicians and a few journalists from Iran are accompanying us on the ship and we intend to deliver 2,500 tons of medical supplies to the Hudaydah port on the Red Sea," it added.

The activists reiterated that everything on the deck has been checked to make sure that there is no weapon on the ship.

The anti-war activists also condemned the Saudi fighter jets bombing of the Sana'a airport to prevent the delivery of Iran's humanitarian aids to Yemen, and stressed, "Preventing the dispatch of humanitarian aid to another country is a flagrant violation of the international laws."

"Let the hungry Yemeni children live! This illegal siege should end," the statement underlined.

The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) has been trying to dispatch humanitarian aid to Yemen through sea and air, but has failed due to Saudi Arabia's full blockade of the war-ravaged country.

Late in April, Saudi jet fighters shooed away three Iranian cargo planes from Yemen's airspace. But in the third case they bombed the Sana'a airport control tower and runway seven times to prevent the Iranian defying pilot from landing.

The Iranian civilian plane was carrying humanitarian aids, including medical equipment, for the Yemeni people who have been under the Saudi-led airstrikes for over a month now. The cargo plane was due to take humanitarian aid to Yemen and take several civilians, who were critically wounded in the recent Saudi bombings, back to Tehran to receive specialized medical treatment.

Iran had earlier sent five consignments of humanitarian aid to Yemen, including a total of 69 tons of relief, medical, treatment, and consumer items

Iran plans to send 'aid' ship to 'their own' Yemen - Saudis informed.

Iran plans to send 'aid' ship to 'their own' Yemen - Saudis informed. (Taz).

Iran plans to dispatch a ship carrying “relief supplies” to Yemen, Ali Asghar Ahmadi Secretary-General of Iran's Red Crescent Society (IRCS) said.

The ship carrying 2500 metric tons of relief supplies is scheduled to leave Iran’s southern Bandar Abbas port on May 9, Ahmadi said, adding the arrival of the cargo to Yemen will take about ten days in normal conditions.

We have informed the Red Crescent Society of the Saudi Arabia about sending the cargo, the Iranian official said, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported May 7.

The ship also will carry rescue forces from the IRCS to Yemen, he added.

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition has imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen as part of its campaign to oust the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, who have taken most of the country and forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh.

Saudi fighter jets have prevented Iranian planes from entering Yemeni airspace in recent weeks.
Iran says that the planes were carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, meanwhile Saudi Arabia accuse the country of providing military support to the Yemeni Shiite rebels.

It was earlier reported that Tehran has decided to send its humanitarian aids to Yemen through Oman.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Islamic Republic’s deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs said on May 5 that Iran will not tolerate the blockade on Yemen.


He reiterated that Tehran considers Yemen’s security as its own and the Islamic Republic would not give up its efforts to send humanitarian aids to Yemen. Hmmm.....they better be prepared to be boarded. 

Obama's new BFF IRAN: Khamenei’s secret plans to occupy Sanaa and takeover Yemen.

Obama's new BFF IRAN: Khamenei’s secret plans to occupy Sanaa and takeover Yemen. (NCRI).

NCRI - According to reports that have recently reached the Iranian Resistance, last June, Khamenei ordered the terrorist Qods Force (QF) to speed up the plan for occupation of Sanaa and to control Yemen by the Houthis.

This measure followed the escalation of crisis in Iraq and the occupation of large swathes of that country by ISIS and the establishment of an international coalition in this respect. Khamenei had stated that since U.S. is preoccupied with ISIS and Iraq, as well as the nuclear talks, it is prone to overlook the Iranian regime’s intervention in Yemen, the reports said. He stressed that this opportunity may be used by the regime to spread its influence to Yemen and thus overshadow the problems it faces in Iraq.

1. On July 12, 2014, speaking to a group of QF commanders, IRGC Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani, deputy QF commander, announced a new phase of operations by Ansarullah in Yemen. With this operation, we will place Saudi Arabia in a vulnerable position, he elaborated. These statements that were posted in a classified IRGC bulletin followed a series of military preparations and training of the Houthis in Iran, Yemen and Lebanon.

2. As Ansarullah entered Sanaa, regime’s foreign ministry’s assistant for Arabia and Africa Hossein Abdollahian noted in his remarks to a group of foreign ministry officials: “Soon, we are going to witness victories in Yemen and with the least expenditure, the Islamic republic will reap great achievements in Yemen. The future Yemen will enjoy Iran’s all out support.”

3. Based on sources inside the regime, the National Council of Resistance (NCR) issued a statement on October 12, 2014 disclosing: “Khamenei has emphasized that ‘the Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen axis’ is crucial ‘for the Islamic Republic of Iran and there should be no retreat in this regard’... It is through this ring that ‘we can surround the rest of the Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Jordan,’ and put pressure on countries such as Egypt.”

4. On October 19, 2014, Khamenei’s foreign affairs adviser Ali Akbar Velayati, in his meeting with a group of Houthis in Tehran titled “Yemeni scholars and cultural figures”, noted: “In Yemen, Ansarullah should play the very role that Hezbollah is playing in Lebanon.”

5. In January 2015, following the occupation of the presidential palace in Sanaa, a delegation composed of Houthi leaders visited Tehran and met with the Office of Khamenei and the QF, as well as other organs.

6. Concurrent with these meetings, QF wrote in a classified briefing: “The unified and powerful organization of Ansarullah is Iran’s work. They were in Iran for years. For 15 years, Iran has constantly worked with the Ansarullah movement. They have reached this state through our constant support, training and sustenance and intelligence. Moreover, the QF has supported them through Hezbollah and other Arab groups. Ansarullah is completely under Iran’s command.”

7. Following the initiation of operation “Decisive Storm”, a classified QF document stipulated that it is two years now that the IRGC has transferred all sorts of weaponry to the Houthis in Yemen, including a large number of surface-to-surface and surface-to-sea missiles, and thus they have no problem of shortage of missiles and weaponry (this document is in the possession of the Iranian Resistance).

8. Up until the Arab coalition, injured Houthis were regularly transferred to Iran. Including on March 23, the QF airlifted 52 injured members of Ansarullah to IRGC Baqiyatollah Hospital in Tehran. IRGC General Qa’ani personally paid a visit to them at the hospital.

9. Mahan airliner (affiliated with the IRGC) that was forced to turn back from Sanaa on April 29 was carrying to Yemen a number of Ansarullah commanders who had been in Tehran and Lebanon. This same airliner was to transfer a number of Houthis to Tehran under the pretext that they are wounded. For the purpose, a section of Baqiyatollah Hospital had been cleared of other patients.

10. For many years, Yemen’s file was being followed by the QF, but since last year, Khamenei is directly following this file through the QF. The QF employs other governmental organs for this purpose as well. Houthi representatives in Tehran have regular meetings at Khamenei’s Office and Shabankari is responsible for the Houthis affairs in this office.

11. Since the beginning of operation Decisive Storm, regime’s leaders are constantly meeting at the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) to follow this issue. Saeid Iravani, the political and international assistant of SNSC secretariat, is responsible for coordinating Yemen’s affairs.

12. In this time span, IRGC Major General Qasem Soleimani, QF brutal commander, is following up the war in Yemen from Tehran as QF’s main mission. IRGC Brigadier General Amirian, a Soleimani deputy responsible for the Arabian Peninsula in the QF, is regime’s direct commander in the war in Yemen. He holds the daily staff meetings on this war in Tehran.

13. The QF has also set up a headquarters in Lebanon to intervene in the war in Yemen with cooperation from the Hezbollah. An IRGC classified report reads: “Hassan Nasrallah is wholly behind the war in Yemen and a large section of the work is followed through in Lebanon. He meets with the Houthi commanders and officials in Lebanon… Hassan Nasrallah works with Houthis under Qasem Soleimani’s supervision. They have their headquarters in southern Beirut and QF commanders follow on Yemen through Lebanon.”

14. Once operation “Decisive Storm” began and the routes of sending assistance to Houthis were closed, Tehran continued assisting the Houthis in the following three aspects:

- The presence of some QF commanders on the ground who practically do the planning and direct the Houthis;

- Establishment of essential communication systems so that the Houthis and the IRGC elements in Yemen could be in direct contact with the QF in Tehran to receive guidance;

- Dispatch of further forces and commanders from the Lebanese Hezbollah to help the Ansarullah. Since entry of IRGC elements to Yemen is proving more difficult, regime is dispatching Hezbollah commanders to Yemen through various routes. Some are pulled out of the front in Iraq and transferred to Yemen.

15. Some factions within the regime, especially at the foreign ministry, consider the “Decisive Storm” as a heavy and strategic blow to the regime. A classified report emphasis on several points:

- We just went too far in Yemen. Taking over Sanaa was a good move, but advancing towards Aden was a mistake. When foreign minister of Jordan brought a message of peace from Saudis to Iran and urged Iran not to interfere in Yemen, the QF miscalculated and planned Yemen’s occupation, much like Syria and Iraq.

- This is a strategic defeat in the region… similar to the case in Tikrit, Iraq where forces aligned with Iran were pushed back and U.S. threatened that it would not carry out airstrikes unless the militias are pulled back.

- IRGC cannot takeover all of Yemen with the Houthis. Had the Houthis remained in Sanaa, Saudis wanted to negotiate and we were in a better position. The move to takeover Yemen was a mistake and premature and it led to this confrontation with Iran unprecedented in the past few decades.

- Iran should have played the same way as it did with the Hezbollah in Lebanon. It should have let Mansour Hadi keep Aden. After the end of talks and overture in nuclear discussions, Iran could have gradually advanced in the region… Regrettably, IRGC brothers lack a logical and strategic viewpoint.

- IRGC commanders were surprised as they little expected this situation [the Decisive Storm]…

- Posting of reports and pictures of Haj Qassem [Soleimani] on the internet was a trap for the IRGC and got the region mobilized against Iran; weakening the forces loyal to Iran. Right now, Iran’s years of investment in Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iraq has been hurt.

16. Reciprocally, a classified QF report says: “There is no plan for Houthis to retreat. They are to advance. They have good resources of weaponry and missiles and can withstand. They have 180,000 mobilized forces ready to fight. They have 20,000 strong suicidal elements. Thus the Houthis are the winners and Saudi Arabia will be the loser of this play. Most significant is that after 33 years a revolution similar to the Islamic Republic revolution with the leadership of the supreme leader is taking shape in Yemen.”

17. In the current circumstances and at a time when the Houthis are ruling in Sanaa, regime’s policy at the political scene is to stress on a swift ceasefire in order to have the upper hand in the negotiations. According to classified QF reports, “this situation is unsupportable for the Saudis and the more the situation in Yemen deteriorates, it will be to the detriment of Saudis and the coalition forces will step aside; Saudis cannot have hegemony. Therefore, Ansarullah should be patient”.
Another QF report states: “If a car explodes in the capital of one of the countries in the coalition, that country shall drop out of the coalition.” Some sources state that these reports are to boost the moral and give hope to regime’s forces.

18. In a fake muscle-flexing on April 17, Deputy IRGC Commander Salami noted: “Ansarullah can attack the Saudi navy and confront a Saudi ground assault… Ansarullah have missile and armored capabilities and they have artillery. They almost have a powerful army in the region… If Saudi attacks continue, they [Houthis] would certainly respond by attacking Saudi ground forces and enter the Saudi territory. Surely, the Ansarullah will not be hands tied in face of Saudi attacks.”

By stressing on the above points, as well as many other facts and details, the Security and Anti-terrorism Commission of the National Council of Resistance of Iran emphasizes on the fact that as long as this anti human regime is ruling Iran, it shall not abandon export of terrorism and fundamentalism and warmongering in countries in the region.

Therefore, the sole solution to attain peace and tranquility in the region is to evict the Iranian regime and the forces affiliated with it from the region, especially from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen and ultimately to topple this regime in Iran.


Security and Anti-terrorism Committee of National Council of Resistance of Iran
May 2, 2015

Iran not to tolerate blockade on Yemen. - Iranian Dep Foreign Min on Arab & African affairs.

Obama's new BFF Iran to not tolerate blockade on Yemen. (Taz).

Iran will not permit the blockade on Yemen to continue, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the Islamic Republic’s deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs said.

The Islamic Republic supports the “oppressed” Yemeni people and Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue for putting an end to the ongoing crisis in the country, Amir Abdollahian said, Iran ’s Tasnim news agency reported May 5.

The Saudi-led coalition has imposed an air and naval blockade on Yemen as part of its one-month campaign to oust the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, who have taken most of the country and forced President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Riyadh.

Saudi fighter jets have prevented Iranian planes from entering Yemeni airspace in recent weeks.
Iran says that the planes were carrying humanitarian aid to Yemen, meanwhile Saudi Arabia accuse the country of providing military support to the Yemeni Shiite rebels.

Amir Abdollahian said that Iran would continue its efforts to send humanitarian aids to Yemen.
He reiterated that Tehran considers Yemen’s security as its own and said that the Saudi Arabia has assaulted an Islamic state (Yemen) in the region.

He also accused the intelligence services of some regional countries of being in touch with terrorists in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Iran has repeatedly called on Riyadh to immediately halt the air strikes on Yemen, saying intra-Yemeni dialog is the only way to end the current political deadlock in the Arab country.

The Houthi militia group-Ansarullah, whose power base is in the main Shiite northern highlands, overran Sanaa unopposed last September.

At that time, an Iranian conservative MP, Ali Reza Zakani boasted that Sanaa was now the fourth Arab capital in Iranian hands – after Beirut (through Hezbollah), Damascus (through President Bashar al-Assad) and Baghdad (through Iraq ’s democratically elected Shia-led government).

Iran has repeatedly called on Riyadh to immediately halt the air strikes on Yemen, which have continued since March 25, saying intra-Yemeni dialog is the only way to end the current political deadlock in the Arab country.

Tehran also rejects claims about providing military support to the Yemeni rebels.

Related: Iran considers Yemen’s security as its own

Obama's new BFF Iran’s Alborz destroyer warns US destroyer.

Obama's new BFF Iran’s Alborz destroyer warns US destroyer. (Taz).

 Iran ’s Alborz destroyer has warned U.S. destroyer and aircraft over the past two days.
The U.S. Navy's P-3C aircraft and the DDG-81 destroyer sought to breach the five-mile standard distance from the Islamic Republic’s 34th fleet in the Gulf of Aden, but the Alborz destroyer warned them and they were forced to change their route, Iran’s IRIB reported May 5.

Mostafa Tajeddini, the commander of the Iranian 34th fleet said that dealing with everything that threatens national interests is the principal duty of the Iranian Navy.

Earlier Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said that the Islamic Republic’s 34th fleet is still in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb.

On April 24, he rejected comments of U.S. defense officials, claiming that the fleet was moving away from Yemen, days after the U.S. deployed warships to the Yemeni coast.

The Iranian fleet consists of the logistics ship Bushehr and the Alborz destroyer. Sayyari stated that the fleet’s mission is to secure Iran 's shipping lines and safeguard the Islamic Republic’s interests in the free waters. Hmmmm.........Appeasement does not work.