US ambassador accuses Iran of arming rebels
THE US ratcheted up tensions with Iran last night by accusing it of supplying illegal weapons to a rebel group in Yemen and “fanning the flames of conflict” across the Middle East.
Standing before the remains of a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels into Saudi Arabia, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said the US was taking the “extraordinary step” of declassifying US intelligence.
“We did this for a single urgent purpose: the Iranian regime cannot be allowed to engage in its lawless behaviour any longer,” Mrs Haley said at a briefing at a US airbase outside Washington.
“The fight against Iranian aggression is the world’s fight. The US is acting in the spirit of transparency and international cooperation.”
She said Iran had provided ballistic missiles, small arms and explosive boats to the Houthi rebels, who are battling against Saudi Arabia and the internationally-recognised government of Yemen, which was toppled in 2015. But while the presentation in front of the remains of the Qiam ballistic missile was dramatic, Mrs Haley was vague about what the US intended to do next. She said the US would talk with other nations at the UN Security Council about “next steps” and invited diplomats and members of Congress to visit the airbase to see the evidence for themselves.
Mrs Haley said the missile was fired on Nov 4 from Yemen towards Riyadh airport and bore signs of Iranian production.
Her claims tracked with a recent UN report, which also concluded that the weapon had Iranian parts. However, the UN was more cautious in accusing Iran’s government of direct involvement because of the missile parts.
Iran dismissed the evidence as “fabricated,” saying the accusations were baseless.
Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, tweeted shortly afterwards comparing Mrs Haley’s presentation to that made by Colin Powell, then US secretary of state, in the run up to the 2003 Iraq war.