Iran's UN Representative Rejects Saudi Accusations of Arms Shipment to Yemen

According to Iran's state news agency, Iran's representative office at the United Nations has rejected recent accusations from Saudi Arabia in that organization, describing them as "baseless and unsubstantiated." On September 18, the Iranian delegation stated, "The letter from Saudi Arabia contains unfounded claims that no impartial authority has been able to prove so far." Two days prior to this reaction, Saudi Arabia had complained to the UN Security Council, accusing Tehran of smuggling weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Saudi ambassador to the UN stated that the smuggling of Iranian-made weapons to Yemeni rebels not only violates Security Council Resolution 2216 but also threatens the stability of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the entire region. Saudi Arabia is a major supporter of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the Yemeni president who is currently in Riyadh following the advance of Houthi rebels and the forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Iranian representation at the UN reiterated previous accusations against Saudi Arabia, accusing Saudi officials of "destroying the infrastructure" of Yemen: "It is astonishing that while Saudi Arabia has purchased tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons and used them against the people of Yemen, it complains to the Security Council about the use of weapons in Yemen." The Hadi government is still considered the legitimate government of Yemen by the United Nations, and Saudi Arabia claims that its attacks on the rebels are in support of this government. However, these attacks have faced criticism from international human rights organizations. The British newspaper The Guardian recently reported that nearly one-third of all airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition target hospitals, schools, mosques, shopping centers, and economic infrastructure, hitting civilians. Saudi Arabia has rejected this report, describing the figures in it as "highly exaggerated." The tense relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have recently faced new crises; these crises intensified following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, the attack on its embassy in Tehran, and the severing of diplomatic relations, continuing with verbal attacks from officials on both sides.