New York Times: "The White House seems to have realized that the Saudis do not have a strategy"

The US publication Bloomberg Business writes today that Iran’s Foreign Ministry has complained to the International Committee of the Red Cross that humanitarian aid sent to Yemen was blocked by Saudi Arabia.

 Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called Peter Maurer, the president of the ICRC, after a second Iranian aid plane was turned back by Saudi Arabian jets on Friday, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The Saudis are leading airstrikes against Shiite rebels who have the upper hand in Yemen’s civil war, accusing them of being tools of Iran. While the rebels have broadened ties with the Islamic Republic since seizing the capital Sana’a last year, they say they don’t take orders from Tehran. Western diplomats have expressed skepticism about the degree of Iranian involvement. “In the past two days, two planes carrying wounded Yemenis who had being treated, and also humanitarian and pharmaceutical aid, were on their way to Yemen,” Amir-Abdollahian said. “Unfortunately, after the illegal interference of Saudi Arabia in Yemeni airspace, they received a warning and were forced to return to Iran.” On Thursday, Saudi fighter jets warned off another Iranian cargo plane which was also carrying wounded Yemenis and humanitarian aid, according to Iranian media. The New York Times reports, that the Saudis claim the airstrikes have punished the Houthi rebels, who have tried to take over Yemen, by wiping out many of their weapons and military installations around the country.  The Obama administration has helped the Saudis with intelligence and tactical advice and by deploying warships off the Yemeni coast. Now it is urging them to end the bombing. The White House seems to have realized that the Saudis appear to have no credible strategy for achieving their political goals, or even managing their intervention. On Tuesday, they declared a halt to most military operations, only to resume bombing hours later. More airstrikes followed on Thursday. Meanwhile, the UN’s human rights agency said on Friday that more than 550 civilians have died in airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition since March 26, including 58 killed on April 22, the day after the Saudis announced they would scale back operations.