Official: Closure of Iran’s Embassy in Sana’a Not on Agenda

Hassan Qashqavi, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for consular, parliamentary, and Iranian expatriates’ affairs, made the comment during the funeral procession of the slain Iranian diplomat Abolqasem Assadi who was assassinated by terrorists in Yemen.

“Enemies intend to harm the bilateral relations between Iran and Yemen,” he said.

Qashqavi further said according to the international conventions, Yemeni officials are responsibilities for safeguarding the lives of the foreign diplomats in the country.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will carefully pursue the matter,” the Iranian official said, condemning the terrorist crime.

Body of the assassinated Iranian diplomat in Yemen, Abolqasem Assadi, arrived in Tehran Monday morning in a special flight and was received by foreign ministry officials in a ceremonial manner.

The bereaved family members of the late diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif, Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian, and the late diplomats’ colleagues were among the participants in the mourning reception ceremony.

Foreign Minister Zarif expressed deep sympathy with Assadi’s family members in the event.

On Saturday, January 18, Iranian commercial attaché in Yemen was shot dead by unknown gunmen outside the Iranian ambassador’s residence in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a.

The assailants first tried to abduct the Iranian diplomat, but when they faced resistance, opened fire on him, shot him four times, and fled the scene immediately afterwards.

Assadi died of the gunshot wounds later in the day after undergoing surgery in a hospital in Sana’a.

Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry issued a statement on Sunday, and condemned the bloody attack as an “inhumane and terrorist act.”

The statement also noted that such a terrorist attack unveils the violent and extremist nature of the Takfiri (extremist) groups, which have targeted the unity and solidarity in the Islamic Ummah (society).

“Such terrorist and violent measures will intensify the aversion that the whole Islamic nations and countries, particularly the Muslim people of Yemen and Iran, have to the ominous phenomenon of terrorism, violence and extremism and its elements,” the statement added.

In a separate development following the incident on Saturday, Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the Yemeni chargé d'affaires to protest the assassination of the diplomat in Sana’a.

And in a telephone conversation after the attack, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi expressed condolences to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and the victim’s family.

Qirbi also said the Yemeni government would welcome an Iranian delegation to Sana’a and was ready to cooperate with Iran to investigate the attack.