US warns Tehran over aiding rebels in Yemen

Washington yesterday warned it would not "stand by" while Iran supports rebels in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition pounded anti-government forces at the start of a third week of bombings.

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday denounced air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition against Shia rebels in Yemen as "criminal acts".

"This move is not acceptable in the region and I would warn that they must stop these criminal acts in Yemen," he said, addressing the Saudi government in a statement on his official website.

In the most direct US criticism yet of Tehran's backing of the Shiite Huthi rebels, Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington would not accept foreign interference in Yemen. He said the US would support any state in the Middle East that felt threatened by Iran, and would not "stand by" if Iran destabilised the region.

The US is backing a Saudi-led coalition seeking to drive back the rebels and restore President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled the country last month. Iran has denied accusations it is providing military aid to the Houthis.

However, it despatched two navy vessels to the Gulf of Aden, off the southern coast of Yemen, on Wednesday. Navy commander Rear Adm Habibollah Sayyari told state media the move was made with the aim of "safeguarding naval routes for vessels in the region".

Meanwhile, aid supplies have begun reaching Yemen after a series of delays, as the humanitarian situation deteriorates amid continued fighting. One vessel brought 1.7 tonnes of medical aid for Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and the other medical supplies and a surgical team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Further aid from the ICRC is expected to be delivered by plane to Sanaa shortly.

The coalition has so far failed to stop an assault on the southern port city of Aden by the Houthis and allied military units loyal to ex president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The World Health Organisation says at least 643 people have been killed and 2,226 wounded in Yemen since 19 March. Another 10,000 people have been driven from their homes.