The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, today concluded a visit to the Iranian capital, Tehran, where the focus was on resuming the political process in Yemen under the auspices of the United Nations. In Tehran, the envoy met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and a group of senior Iranian officials.< /p>

The envoy stressed the need to provide sufficient political space to move forward with the road map, and expressed his deep concern about the broader regional escalation that includes Yemen and its negative impact on the mediation space... stressing the importance of immediately reducing the escalation for the benefit of the Yemenis.

He discussed concrete measures to de-escalate military, economic and humanitarian issues that could achieve positive results and demonstrate a real commitment to peace.

Mr. Grundberg noted that “it is necessary now, more than ever, to provide concerted and unified regional and international support for Yemen to overcome complex regional dynamics, seize opportunities for peace and resume constructive dialogue that can lead to a sustainable political solution to the conflict.”

In all his meetings, the envoy briefed on UN efforts to immediately and unconditionally release UN staff, NGOs, diplomatic missions and civil society arbitrarily detained by the Houthis.

He requested Iran's support for these efforts, noting that the arrests contravene international law and severely affect the United Nations' ability to provide much-needed humanitarian assistance in Yemen.