Nikki Haley: Russia Endangered the Region by Preventing Accountability for Iran

Following Russia's veto of a draft resolution regarding the extension of arms sanctions on Yemen and criticism of Iran's role, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Monday, March 7, that Russia's action prevented accountability for Iran and endangered the entire region. Haley mentioned in a statement that despite abundant evidence provided by the UN independent experts regarding Iran's violations of the arms sanctions on Yemen, the UN Security Council failed to adopt a resolution holding Iran accountable for its actions. On Monday, Russia vetoed a draft resolution proposed by Britain concerning the extension of arms sanctions on Yemen, which expressed concern over Iran's failure to prevent violations of these sanctions. The British draft resolution highlighted that Iran had not taken necessary actions to prevent the shipment of weapons to Yemen in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2216. Haley referred to the report of the UN independent experts monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions, which indicated that Iran had failed to prevent the delivery of Iranian weapons and related equipment, including ballistic missiles, military equipment, and drone technology to Houthi militants in Yemen. The U.S. ambassador to the UN noted that Russia has repeatedly blocked resolutions against the 'brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad' and emphasized that today, Russia protected the Iran-backed terrorist regime. Haley stressed that Russia prevented accountability for Iran and endangered the entire region. She added that 11 out of 15 members of the Security Council were united in holding Iran accountable. We thank them for their serious determination and commitment to countering the threat Iran poses to regional security. The U.S. ambassador emphasized that if Russia continues to use its veto power to prevent action against Iran's dangerous and destabilizing behavior, the U.S. and its partners must take actions against Iran that Russia cannot prevent. Haley had previously called on the Security Council to take action regarding Iran based on the report of the UN independent experts about violations of the arms sanctions on Yemen. The U.S. ambassador also previously stated that the Iranian regime is the source of most problems in the Middle East. Britain had also previously urged Iran to cease activities that risk escalating conflict and war in Yemen. Meanwhile, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, reiterated on Monday that 'we have no weapon shipments to Yemen.' He had also responded last week to statements from British and French officials, stating that 'the claim of missile shipments to Yemen amid the severe blockade of this country is false and a clumsy scenario.' Following the rejection of the British draft in the Security Council, Russia presented a new draft resolution that, while extending the arms sanctions on Yemen, made no reference to the UN report on Iran's 'violations' of the sanctions. The Russian draft resolution was unanimously approved in the UN Security Council. This resolution also extends the mandate of the group of independent experts for one year.