TEHRAN, Jan. 22 (UPI) —
Iran said Wednesday the Yemeni government should take its obligation to protect foreign officials seriously following the slaying of an Iranian diplomat.
"We expect the Yemeni government to act more responsibly in protecting the security of the diplomats in Yemen and act more responsibly in respecting the recognized international conventions," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian was quoted by the semiofficial Fars News Agency as saying.
He warned Iran would take appropriate action should Yemen not live up to its end of the bargain.
The deputy foreign minister was speaking from the sidelines of the funeral in Tehran for Iranian diplomat Ali Asghar Assadi, who died from gunshot wounds suffered in a weekend attack in Yemen.
Yemen and Iran have an adversarial relationship. The Yemeni government has accused Iran of supporting a Shiite rebellion in the north of the country.
The Iranian minister described the weekend shooting as an act of terror that resulted from a failed kidnapping attempt against the diplomat.
"Iran is seriously following up the terrorist attack with the concerned Yemeni officials," he said.
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