Yemen's Foreign Minister Hisham Sharaf has categorically rejected US claims about Iran’s role in helping Yemen strike Israeli-owned and -bound ships in the strategic Red Sea, saying the decision was purely by the Yemeni government and armed forces in support of the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“The Yemeni government in Sana’a is the one who has taken that decision and that decision was based on solid grounds not to allow the Israeli aggression to continue on our brothers in Palestine, in Gaza and in different areas of the occupied land,” Sharaf said in an exclusive interview with Press TV’s Face to Face program on Saturday.

Sharaf underlined that Yemen is “not a threat to anyone,” describing the Yemeni forces as “peaceful.”

“Any ship that is not going to the Zionist regime and any ship that doesn’t carry an Israeli flag or is not owned by Zionists is safe from the Yemeni attacks,” he stated.

The top diplomat hailed the recent Yemeni attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea as a “show of solidarity” and said they were the “beginning steps” to the liberation of Palestine.

Sharaf referred to the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea as “our sea” and said, “Those who came to that area don’t know what is going on there… we defend our territories… we want the siege on Gaza to be over; we also want all kinds of necessities to go into the occupied land.”

The foreign minister said it was Yemen’s duty to contribute to the liberation of Palestine through all means available, including demonstrations and military action.

“We put Palestine as the central issue Yemen is fighting for,” he said. “If we don’t stand by them at this critical moment, doing something the world would listen to, then no one would.”

Sharaf also appreciated Iran for its support of Yemen, including in health sector, saying, “If not for the Iranians’ support for Yemen, no one would now hear the stories coming from Yemen.”

General Soleimani main supporter of resistance

During the exclusive interview with Press TV, Sharaf said Iran’s late anti-terror commander General Qassem Soleimani was the main character who supported the resistance against the Israeli occupation over the years.

“Martyr Soleimani was the one who used to go around to different places supporting all those forces in the Axis of Resistance, so when it comes to the occupied territories, Martyr Soleimani, I think, was the main supporter of these forces in Palestine either by training or by supplying weapons,” Sharaf said.

“You can say that after so many years of support, the Palestinians were ready to carry out such an undertaking which marked the peak of their achievement in Palestine,” he said, referring to the October 7 surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups against Israel.

Touching upon Hamas’s reference to Soleimani as “Martyr of al-Quds,” Sharaf said the top anti-terror general’s dream of the liberation of the occupied al-Quds was “very close” to be realized.

Pointing to Soleimani’s role in helping Yemen overcome foreign aggression, he said, “Martyr Soleimani was watching Yemen closely and he did a lot for Yemen to be ready to respond to forces who led the aggression on our country.”

Sharaf also praised the Islamic Republic as the “only country” that supported Yemeni forces and people at the onset of the war on Yemen.

Referring to Soleimani’s contribution to the Axis of Resistance from Syria to Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen, Sharaf said, “Martyr Soleimani was very active, not sitting idle and trying to watch what is happening in the Axis of Resistance; no, he traveled all across these countries. I think his presence in these counties gave the resistance the real feeling that ‘we are not alone’.”

The top Yemeni diplomat said Soleimani was the “symbol” of our fight against outsiders and the “main drive” of our resistance against foreign aggressors.