Iran rejects US accusation of funding, arming Yemen Houthis

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – Iran Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on Saturday has rejected the US accusation that Tehran is providing the Yemen-based Houthis with financial resources, arms support, and military training.

Dorothy Shea, acting US Ambassador to the UN, was speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on Yemen, said, “Iran’s continued and unprecedented provision of weapons components, financial support, and training and technical assistance to the Houthis over more than a decade violates the arms embargo this council imposed on the group.”

She called on the Security Council members to press Iran “to stop arming, funding, and training the Houthis.”

Iran mission to the UN submitted a letter on Thursday to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Fu Cong, Chinese Ambassador to the UN who holds the presidency of the UN Security Council for February, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.

Iranian mission in a letter denounced the US accusation as “unfounded,” stressed Iran’s principled policy has always been based on supporting peace and stability in Yemen and a political solution to the Arab state’s crisis.

It added that Washington could not conceal its complicity in Israel’s “crimes” by hurling accusations at Iran.

The letter noted that Iran “has always been and will remain committed to the fundamental principles of international law and the UN Charter, as well as the Security Council resolutions”, media reported.

The mission denied Tehran’s involvement in the conflict in Yemen, stated Iran maintained that Yemen’s crisis should be resolved through a comprehensive political process that guarantees Yemen’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity.