Britain: Iran Must Halt Actions That Escalate Conflict in Yemen

Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, on Monday, February 19, called on Iran to stop activities that pose a risk of escalating conflict and war in Yemen. According to Reuters, the Foreign Secretary expressed deep concern over findings by UN experts regarding missiles and military equipment transferred from Iran to Yemen after the arms embargo was imposed. He added that such actions place Iran in a position of non-compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and confirm our concerns about their destabilizing actions in Yemen and across the region. Boris Johnson emphasized that he wants Iran to cease activities that pose a risk of escalating conflict and support a political solution for the conflict in Yemen. Reports indicate that Britain, France, and the United States have prepared a draft resolution condemning Iran for failing to prevent the Houthis from acquiring ballistic missiles. This proposed resolution, prepared by Britain, was submitted to the Security Council on Friday. The draft extends UN sanctions on Yemen for another year and would allow the Security Council to impose targeted sanctions regarding 'any activity related to the use of ballistic missiles in Yemen.' According to Reuters, independent UN experts monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions noted last month in a report to the Security Council that they found remnants of missiles that are originally Iranian, which were transferred to Yemen after the arms embargo was imposed. These experts stated that although they do not have evidence identifying the supplier of the missiles fired from Yemen to Saudi Arabia or intermediaries transferring them to Yemen, Iran has violated UN sanctions by failing to prevent the supply, sale, and transfer of these missiles and drones to Yemen. Yemen, as described by experts and observers of Middle Eastern affairs, is the scene of a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, key allies of the United States in the Middle East. The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, has been active since March 2015 in support of the legitimate Yemeni government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthis. However, Iran has never concealed its support for the Houthis, consistently denying accusations of arming this rebel group. In this context, Nikki Haley, the US Ambassador to the UN, wrote in an article for the New York Times on Saturday that since the formation of the nuclear agreement, the Iranian government's support for dangerous militias and terrorist groups has clearly increased. Its missiles and advanced weapons have been transferred to all conflict zones in the Middle East.