The Iranian aid ship bound for war-stricken Yemen will not proceed to its original destination as its cargo was taken over by the United Nations following an inspection in Djibouti.
According to the UN officials, the 2,500 tons of aid, bound for Yemen on board the Iran Shahed, have been offloaded and will now be taken to Yemen by a UN World Food Program ship.
The cargo ship reached Djibouti on Thursday having abandoned its previous plan to sail directly to Yemeni port of Hodaida under the escort of the Iranian navy ships.
The US and Saudi Arabia urged Iran to agree to inspection of the ship and avoid a potential incident that might have arisen due to Iran’s rejection of inspection.
According to a ban imposed by Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ships are not allowed into Yemen unless inspected and approved by the Saudi-led coalition forces.
The intention behind the decision is to stop shipments that could assist the Houthi-led forces in their conflict with the government forces.
The United Arab Emirates are reported to have sent two aid ships to Yemen, which is in dire need of food and medical supplies.
The two conflicting sides agreed on a five-day ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into the country.
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