Iran urges Yemen to halt crackdown

IRAN: Iran has expressed its displeasure over the clashes between Yemeni Government forces and their supporters and pro-democracy protesters. An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday that Tehran has always called for dialogue between Government and protesters.

The official noted that Sana’a should take heed of the legitimate demands of the Yemeni people and urged the Government to stop using force to crack down on the protesters. Violent clashes erupted in Sana’a Tuesday, which was the eleventh day of the latest phase of the popular uprising in the country.

At least two Yemeni university students were killed and 10 others were wounded, when security forces opened fire on unarmed students protesting in front of Sana’a University.On the same day, the police shot and killed a protester and wounded four others in the southern city of Aden.Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Yemen, demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down.

A number of opposition lawmakers and the Shia Houthis in northern Yemen have also joined the pro-democracy demonstrations. PressTV