Haley: Similar Signs of Iran's Role in Recent Missile Launch to Riyadh

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations states that the missile launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia on Tuesday "exhibits all the signs similar to previous attacks using weapons sent by Iran." The U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, has also stated that it is cooperating with Saudi Arabia to analyze the events. On December 19, Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted a "Iranian-Houthi" ballistic missile over Riyadh. Mohammed Abdulsalam, the spokesperson for the Houthis in Yemen, stated that a missile was fired towards the Saudi king's palace in Riyadh. Hours after this missile attack, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called for action from the UN Security Council, stating, "We must act together to expose the crimes of the Tehran regime. We must do whatever it takes to ensure they receive the message. If we do not, Iran will plunge the world into a deeper regional crisis." Last week, Haley, during a press conference at the Pentagon, accused Iran of sending missiles and weapons to the Houthis in Yemen and called for action from the "global community" against Iran. On Tuesday, Haley stated that she is working with "a number of friends in the Security Council" to find necessary options to increase pressure on Iran. Reuters reports that the U.S. ambassador is likely to face conflict with Russia and China to persuade them not to use their veto against UN actions. Vladimir Safronkov, Russia's deputy ambassador to the UN, stated, "We must abandon threats and sanctions and move towards dialogue and focus on increasing cooperation and mutual trust." In addition to Haley's statements, the U.S. Department of Defense also issued a statement regarding the recent attack. According to the Pentagon, "The Department of Defense is aware of recent reports regarding the Houthi missile attack in Yemen using a ballistic missile against Saudi Arabia, and that the Houthis have claimed responsibility for this attack." The statement added that the United States is cooperating with Saudi Arabia "to fully clarify what happened and to ensure that our Saudi allies have the necessary tools to defend their territory against attacks on residential areas." According to reports, the Pentagon's statement did not specifically mention a third country involved in the missile launch. However, the U.S. Department of Defense praised Saudi Arabia in November after Saudi officials accused Iran of being involved in the Houthi missile attack on Riyadh for what they called "revealing" Tehran's role. Haley: Security Council Action Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, said on Tuesday that the Security Council could pass a new resolution or add an amendment to the existing resolution to prevent all ballistic missile-related activities from Iran. A resolution supporting the nuclear agreement reached two years ago between Tehran and six world powers, passed by the UN Security Council, has called on Iran to halt its ballistic missile program. While the United States and its Western allies, such as France, Britain, and Germany, have expressed concern about Iran's ongoing missile program, Russia claims that the request made in the Security Council resolution is not a binding order and has not created any specific obstacle in this regard. Iran has not yet responded to the recent accusations from Saudi Arabia or the U.S. mission to the UN. Iranian officials do not hide their support for the Houthis in Yemen, although they always claim they do not provide them with weapons. The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard recently spoke of "advisory support" for the rebels. Tehran has denied previous accusations regarding its involvement in the missile launch towards Riyadh. Reports indicate that an explosion was heard in Riyadh on Tuesday; for instance, a Bloomberg reporter tweeted that the sound of the explosion was audible in central Riyadh and that the tower where he resides also shook. The Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information stated in a statement that "no report of potential casualties" has been received by Saudi officials "at this time." This is the third time in the past two months that Saudi officials have claimed to have intercepted a missile launched towards their country. Following the Houthi uprising and their former allies among supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh against the Yemeni president, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to restore power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia faces criticism from some of its allies and UN-affiliated organizations regarding the severe blockade of Yemen. The Riyadh-led coalition claims it is blockading Yemen to prevent the transfer of weapons to the rebels. More than ten thousand people have been killed during the three years of conflict, and according to the UN, Yemen is on the brink of the worst contemporary famine and the most severe outbreak of cholera. In this context, Iran has requested access to a piece of the missile launched by the Houthis towards Saudi Arabia. A British minister has warned about the continuation of the blockade and the "humanitarian disaster" in Yemen. Saudi Arabia: We intercepted an "Iranian-Houthi" ballistic missile. The UN: Coalition attacks in Yemen have resulted in 136 deaths in the past 11 days.