Response from IRGC Official to Saudi Accusation of Iranian Origin of Houthi Missiles

In response to the firing of several missiles by Houthi rebels from Yemen into Saudi Arabia, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused Saudi Arabia of attempting to divert public opinion regarding its actions. On Monday, April 6, Saudi Arabia announced that it had intercepted seven ballistic missiles fired by Houthi rebels using its defense system. The Houthis confirmed that they targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and several other areas, stating that they used Burkan H-2 missiles in the attack. Saudi Arabia and the United States claim that the Islamic Republic provides missile weapons to the Shiite Houthis. United Nations experts responsible for monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions visited Saudi Arabia twice, once in May and July 2017, and again in November and December of the same year, to investigate the remnants of ground-to-ground missiles fired by the Houthis at Saudi targets. These experts concluded that these weapons have Iranian origins and reached the Houthis after the UN Security Council sanctions began in March 2015. Iranian officials have repeatedly denied these accusations, considering Saudi Arabia an aggressor against Yemen and a perpetrator of crimes against its people. In this context, on Tuesday, April 7, Yadollah Javani, the political deputy of the IRGC, told Tasnim News Agency that the claim of the Iranian origin of Yemeni missiles is a Saudi tactic to 'divert public opinion from its crimes in Yemen.' He stated, 'To distract the public opinion of the nations of the region and the world from their crimes, they make claims, including accusing Iran of sending weapons to the Yemeni people and strengthening the Ansar Allah movement by sending arms.' According to the IRGC political deputy, 'Everyone knows that the routes for sending weapons to Yemen are blocked and that Saudi Arabia has completely besieged the oppressed Yemeni people.' He further claimed that the 'Yemeni people' have been able to achieve defensive tools, including missile capabilities, relying on their own capabilities. Javani did not explain how the Houthis managed to acquire missile power. According to a UN report, referencing Security Council Resolution 2216, which emphasizes the prohibition of direct or indirect arms shipments to the Houthis, the review committee found that the Islamic Republic violated this provision and did not show the necessary caution in refraining from selling or transferring missiles and drones to the Houthis and supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Tehran has also rejected this report.