NCRI Staff
NCRI – The US and three of its European allies have condemned Iran on Tuesday for violating the United Nations arms embargo on Yemen by allowing its missiles and drones to reach Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Britain, France, Germany and the United States all urged Iranian regime to “immediately cease all activities that are inconsistent or would violate” the 2015 UN arms embargo resolution.
The joint statement by the four Western nations read: “We condemn Iran’s non-compliance, as described by the panel [of UN experts], which poses serious risks to peace and stability in the region.”
Their statement was released one day after Russia vetoed a resolution, drafted by the UK in conjunction with France and the US, which would have renewed sanctions on Yemen and condemned Iran for its actions.
Russia blocked the resolution on the basis that the January report by a panel of UN experts did not show conclusive evidence of Iran’s violation of the arms embargo; even though the experts determined that the ballistic missiles fired at Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthis in 2017, were made by Iran.
This was a setback for the US, who has spent the past year lobbying the UN Security Council to take stronger actions against Iran for its role in regional conflicts and missile tests.
Out of 15 Security Council member states, 11 voted in favour of the resolution, while China and Kazakhstan abstained, and Russia and Bolivia voted against it. Any resolution needs the support of at least nine members of the Security Council, and all five permanent members, including China and Russia.
All four Western countries are signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (alongside Russia and China), which Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of if flaws are not fixed by May 12.
Iranian regime in Yemen
An Arab coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, has been fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen since 2015, following the ousting of the internationally-recognised legitimate government in 2014.
The Arab Coalition spokesperson, Colonel Turki al-Maliki explained on Wednesday that the coalition forces are fighting terrorism in Yemen from the Iran-backed Houthis.
Maliki also advised that the coalition is respecting all international humanitarian and human rights laws, as well as allowing aid convoys to enter the country, something that the four Western nations urged all parties in Yemen to do in their joint statement.
He said that there are now 18,000 relief vessels docked in Yemen with 22 relief posts currently operating and that 959,000 Yemenis have benefited from aid support as a result of the Arab Coalition’s humanitarian plan so far.
He also highlighted that the Yemeni government did not want to stop the media from entering Yemen and instructed security agents to let the media in.
He also brought up the worrying news that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels are now using child soldiers, a violation of international law, and must be stopped.
