Iran's Response to Saudi Accusations: 'Distraction and Public Opinion Manipulation'

One day after France accused Iran regarding Yemen, which prompted an official reaction from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iran's representative to the United Nations also formally protested against Saudi Arabia's 'accusations and threats' in a letter. Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, described Saudi Arabia's accusations regarding Tehran's role in Yemen and threats of retaliation as 'contrary to the UN Charter's prohibition of threats and the use of force.' The UN Security Council condemned the recent missile attacks by Houthi militants on Saudi Arabia in a statement on Wednesday, labeling them a 'threat' to regional security. This statement was released just days after Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted seven ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen. The launch of these seven missiles, which the Houthis did not deny, was not the first attack by this Shia group on Saudi territory. In every instance of Houthi attacks on Saudi forces or territory, the Islamic Republic has been mentioned as a supplier of weapons for this group. This accusation has been repeatedly made by Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also joined in on Thursday, referring to Iran as a 'supplier' of weapons for the Houthis in a radio interview discussing the 'frequent' Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Hours later, the Iranian Foreign Ministry responded to the French accusations in a statement published on its official website. Bahram Qasemi, the ministry's spokesperson, described the French minister's claims as 'repetitive allegations' and called them 'incorrect and a big lie.' He then reiterated a response that Iranian officials have provided in recent months regarding accusations about Yemen: that Riyadh's accusations stem from its own significant crimes in Yemen, and by shifting the focus to Iran, it aims to 'divert public opinion.' This response was previously given by a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. On Tuesday, April 7, Yadollah Javani, the political deputy of the IRGC, told the Tasnim news agency that the 'claim of Iranian missiles in Yemen' is a tactic by Saudi Arabia to 'divert public opinion from its crimes in Yemen.' In Iran's recent protest letter to the UN Secretary-General, published on Friday, April 10, the same response was provided by Iran's representative. Gholamali Khoshroo dismissed Saudi Arabia's accusations regarding Iran's role in the missile attack by Yemen's Ansar Allah on Riyadh as baseless, stating that 'the aim of these accusations is to divert public opinion from Saudi crimes in Yemen.' The Islamic Republic's emphasis on Saudi Arabia's 'crimes' in Yemen arises from Riyadh's repeated allegations that it may have violated international laws in Yemen. In this context, Amnesty International stated in a statement on Friday, April 3, that the Saudi coalition has a long list of actions that could be considered war crimes. Amnesty criticized arms sellers to the Saudi coalition in the Yemen war, stating that both the coalition and the Houthis may have committed war crimes. In contrast, UN experts responsible for monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions have previously stated that the missiles and weapons used by the Houthis have Iranian origins. Yemen has been the scene of war between the Saudi-led coalition of Arab countries and the Shia Houthi militants and their allies for the past three years. Regional and Western countries accuse Iran of providing military support to the Houthis, while the Houthis reject this accusation, presenting themselves as part of the revolutionary movement against corruption in Yemen.