UN report says Iran violated Yemen arms embargo
Iran has violated a UN arms embargo by failing to block supplies to Yemen's Huthi rebels of ballistic missiles that were fired at Saudi Arabia, according to a UN experts' report.
The finding is expected to bolster accusations from the US and Saudi Arabia that Iran has supplied weaponry to the Huthis in their war against the Saudi-led coalition.
The report presented to the UN Security Council on 9 January said: ‘The panel has identified missile remnants, related military equipment and military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are of Iranian origin and were introduced into Yemen after the imposition of the targeted arms embargo.’
The 79-page report said that Iran is in non-compliance with paragraph 14 of resolution 2216 that imposed the ban on arms sales to Yemen in 2015.
Iran has strongly denied arming the Huthis and in December 2017 accused the US of presenting ‘fabricated’ evidence that a November 4 missile fired at Riyadh airport was Iranian-made.
The US told the Security Council in December that it will push for action against Iran for providing missiles that have been fired at its ally, but Russia quickly signalled that it would not endorse such plans.
While the experts pointed to the Iranian origin of the missiles, they were unable to identify the supplier and stressed that Iran had failed to provide information to the panel.
The report said: ‘Iran failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of Borkan-2H short-range ballistic missiles, field storage tanks for liquid bio-propellant oxidiser for missiles and Ababil-T (Qasef-1) UAVs to the then Huthi-Saleh alliance.’
The UN experts travelled to Saudi Arabia in November and again in December to inspect the remnants of missiles fired by the Huthis in May, July, November and December.
Already one of the Arab world's poorest countries, Yemen has been brought to its knees since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of the government.
More than 8,750 people have died in the war and the country is facing what the UN has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
More from Defence Notes
-
Can the Trump administration overcome the Pentagon's multiple capability integration issues?
Better integration of systems and sensors across the branches will be critical to ensuring deterrence and readiness.
-
Trump enters the White House promising into bring the US military to a “golden age”
The returning US president also reiterated a commitment to supply the services with “made-in-America” capabilities and to end conflicts worldwide.
-
Incoming Irish government backs plans for larger defence force
It has been more than six weeks since the Irish general election. After long negotiations, a coalition of two of the three largest parties and independents has resulted in a Programme for Government (PfG) which will form the basis of a government almost guaranteed to be formed on 22 January.
-
Top-level commitments but no meat in UK Defence Industrial Strategy’s Statement of Intent
The initial document focused more on creating the right partnerships and inspiring investment in defence than on any details of how future UK Armed Forces would be armed.