UN chief hails Iranian efforts to extend truce in Yemen

ISTANBUL

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday hailed Iran's efforts to renew a UN-brokered truce in war-torn Yemen.

"The secretary-general expressed his satisfaction at the extension of the truce in Yemen as well as his appreciation of Iran's efforts in this regard," said a UN statement following a phone call between Guterres and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian.

On June 2, Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend the UN-brokered truce for two additional months. Under the truce, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were halted. The agreement also allowed the operation of commercial flights from rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since September 2014, when Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to restore the Yemeni government to power.

The eight-year conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with millions suffering from hunger.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar