US demands UN action against Iran over Yemen missile

World
Europe

The United States on Tuesday asked the UN to take action over an Iranian missile being reportedly fired by Yemeni Houthi forces into Saudi Arabia.

In a press release, the US mission to the United Nations said that Saudi Arabia recently released information regarding a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia in July 2017.

"The information shows that the missile was an Iranian Qiam – a type of weapon that had not been present in Yemen before the conflict, constituting violations of UN Security Council Resolutions 2216 and 2231," said the press release.

It encouraged the United Nations and international partners to "take necessary action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for these violations."

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley /Reuters Photo

It also noted Saudi Arabia's claim that it intercepted a separate Houthi-launched missile, shot down over Riyadh on Nov. 4, that may also be of Iranian origin.

"Saudi Arabia's announcement confirms once again the Iranian regime's complete disregard for its international obligations. By providing these types of weapons to the Houthi militias in Yemen, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is violating two UN resolutions simultaneously," US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley was quoted as saying in the press release.

"We encourage the release of any information that will help to hold Iran accountable for its support of violence and terrorism in the region and the world. The United States is committed to containing Iran's destabilizing actions and will not turn a blind eye to these serious violations of international law by the Iranian regime," said Haley.

Yemen is in civil war since 2015 between Sanaa-based Houthi forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and forces loyal to the government led by Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, based in Aden. A Saudi-led coalition uses airstrikes to support the Hadi government.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency