NEW YORK — Saudi Ambassador to the United Nations Abdallah Al-Mouallimi expressed Saudi Arabia’s and other Arab countries’ concern about Iran’s ‘aggressive’ actions, which is destabilizing the Gulf region.

The ‘aggressive’ Iranian actions include the use of drones by their proxies in Yemen, the Houthi militia, which aims to create chaos by targeting civilian area in the Kingdom.

The drones and arms are sent by Iran to the Houthis. The Iranian regime also has been threatening navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea with use of limpet mines to target shipping in the busy sea-lanes.

"It's high time that the Houthis accept the UN resolution 2216 and put an end to their illegitimate occupation of the centers of powers in Yemen," Al-Mouallimi said in a press conference here.

Answering a question on what United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock said on the aid issue, Al-Mouallimi stated, "I reject this statement I believe its inappropriate and rude."

"Saudi Arabia is the biggest aid donor in Yemen, and we have provided more than $15 billion since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen by direct support or through special aid organization," he added.

Al-Mouallimi said Saudi Arabia this year has paid more than $400 million to the United Nations and other aid organizations to embellish UN’s aid activities.

"This year we alone we have paid more money into Yemen than any of the donors in the world," Al-Mouallimi told reporters. “No country has provided aid such as Saudi Arabia.”

"Lowcock has himself described the Saudi support exemplary and called for other nations to follow their an example," Al-Mouallimi said, while reaffirming that the Kingdom will fulfill all its commitment to the United nations'

In this regard, Al-Mouallimi ;pointed out the letter of thanks sent by Lowcock to KSRelief’s Supervisor General Abdullah Al-Rabeeah for the center’s generous and unstinted support to the Yemenis.

Al-Mouallimi added, "We don't want war with Iran in Yemen or elsewhere, and it’s high time that the war in Yemen should end and the Houthis should accept UN resolution 2216 by ending their illegitimate occupation of power in Yemen."

Earlier, UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash reiterated the fact that Saudi Arabia and UAE largest humanitarian donors to Yemen and would continue to provide aid to the country.

“The UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are the largest humanitarian donors in Yemen and will always fulfill their commitments. Last year, their joint pledge of $930 million was paid to the UN in one single disbursement, the largest in UN history,” said Gargash on Twitter.

“Both the Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently working with the UN on the modalities of the 2019 commitment to ensure maximum benefits for the Yemeni people. Total UAE aid to Yemen since April 2015 exceeds $5.5 billion,” he added in a second tweet.

The two countries previously announced $200 million to the Imdaad initiative to support the people of Yemen on April 8, 2019. The UN’s aid chief has previously praised the UAE and Saudi for preventing the situation in Yemen from deteriorating.

The two countries' donated hundreds of millions of dollars and allowed the UN to scale up its aid operation, said Lowcock on May 22, 2019.

“My most important message is to say thank you very much [to the UAE and Saudi Arabia] because without them the country would be much worse,” the organization reported Lowcock as adding. — SG