UN: Parts of Houthi missiles fired at Saudi Arabia were Iranian-made

by WorldTribune Staff, June 15, 2018

Components from missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen at Saudi Arabia were manufactured in Iran, the United Nations said.

Saudi soldiers reveal the remains of missiles that a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia claim are Iranian during a press conference in Riyadh on March 26. / AFP

However, UN officials said they were unable to determine when the components were sent to Yemen, AFP reported on June 14.

The UN’s inability to determine when the missile parts were delivered could be a blow to U.S. efforts to have the UN take action against Iran over illegal arms transfers, analysts say.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council in a 14-page report that debris from five missiles fired by the Houthis at Saudi Arabia since July 2017 “share key design features with a known type of missile manufactured” by Iran.

The report added that “some component parts of the debris were manufactured in the Islamic Republic of Iran” but it remained unclear whether the transfer was in violation of UN restrictions.

UN officials were “unable to determine when such missiles, parts thereof or related technology may have been transferred from” Iran, it said.

A separate UN panel of experts reported in January that Iran was in violation of the arms embargo on Yemen for failing to block the missile supplies.

Russia disputed the panel’s findings and in February vetoed a resolution that would have pressured Iran over the supply of missiles to the Houthis.

Moscow argues that Yemen is awash in weapons and that many of them were delivered at a time when neither Iran or Yemen were under an arms embargo.

Iran has continually denied arming the Houthis.


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