Russia Opposes Condemnation of Iran in UN Security Council Draft Resolution on Yemen

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Wednesday, February 21, that the issue of condemning Iran for failing to prevent missile shipments to Houthi militants should not be included in the new draft resolution in the Security Council regarding Yemen. Reports indicate that Britain, France, and the United States have prepared a draft resolution that, in addition to extending the arms embargo on Yemen for another year, condemns Iran for its inability to prevent the shipment of ballistic missiles to the Shiite Houthi militants. Vassily Nebenzia told Reuters: 'In general, we do not like the issue of condemnation.' The Russian ambassador to the UN added: 'The resolution is about Yemen. This is a resolution that extends the mandate of the working group (independent experts) and is not related to Iran. It is better for us to focus first on extending the mandate of this working group.' According to Reuters, this resolution, which must be approved by February 26 (in five days), will extend the UN sanctions on Yemen and also extend the mandate of independent experts overseeing the implementation of these sanctions. The draft will allow the Security Council to impose targeted sanctions regarding 'any activity related to the use of ballistic missiles in Yemen.' A senior diplomat at the UN, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that the Russians will not support the proposed resolution and have clearly stated their position. Another diplomat said that Russia considers the draft resolution 'unacceptable.' According to Reuters, independent UN experts monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions noted in a report to the Security Council last month that they found remnants of missiles that are of Iranian origin and 'were transferred to Yemen after the imposition of the arms embargo.' These experts stated that although they have no evidence to identify the supplier of the missiles fired from Yemen to Saudi Arabia or the intermediaries transferring them to Yemen, Iran has violated UN sanctions by failing to prevent the supply, sale, and transfer of these missiles and drones to Yemen. Boris Johnson, the British Foreign Secretary, called on Iran on Monday to cease activities that pose a risk of escalating conflict and war in Yemen. Meanwhile, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, responded on Tuesday to the statements of the British Foreign Secretary and other Western officials, stating that the claim of missile shipments to Yemen despite the severe blockade of the country is false and a clumsy scenario designed to absolve the aggressors. Yemen is described by experts and observers of Middle Eastern issues as a battleground for proxy wars between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the main allies of the United States in the region. The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, was formed in March 2015 and has been active for nearly three years in support of the legitimate Yemeni government forces against the Iranian-backed Houthis. However, Iran has never concealed its support for the Houthis, while consistently denying allegations of arming this rebel group. In this context, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, wrote in an article in the New York Times on Saturday that since the formation of the nuclear agreement, Iran's support for dangerous militias and terrorist groups has clearly increased. Its missiles and advanced weapons have been transferred to all war-torn areas in the Middle East.