Russia Opposes UN Action Against Iran Over Houthi Missile Attack

The Russian ambassador to the United Nations on Wednesday, February 1, after a trip to Washington to inspect the weapons that the U.S. claims Iran has provided to the Houthis in Yemen, stated that there is no reason for UN action against Iran. According to Reuters, the U.S. government has been trying for months to condemn or sanction Iran in the Security Council, while threatening to withdraw from the nuclear deal if the 'catastrophic flaws' in the agreement with Iran are not corrected. Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to the UN, said, 'We have only heard vague statements about actions against Iran. If a specific proposal is made, we will consider it. How can we judge something before we know what it is?' When asked if there is a case against Iran at the UN, Mr. Nebenzya replied, 'No!' Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, recently took 14 other Security Council members to view the remnants of a ballistic missile that the U.S. claims was made in Iran and was fired by the Houthis towards Riyadh on November 4. The Yemen war has become a battleground for proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran has denied providing such a missile to the Houthis and described the missile remnants displayed in Washington as 'fake.' The Russian ambassador added, 'There are various and diverse weapons in Yemen. During the rule of Ali Abdullah Saleh (the former president of Yemen), many countries competed to export arms to that country. I am not an expert in this area to be able to judge.' Independent UN experts reported to the Security Council in January that Iran has violated the organization's resolutions regarding Yemen because it 'has failed to prevent the direct or indirect transfer, sale, and shipment of ballistic missiles and other weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.' Vasily Nebenzya expressed doubt about the existence of compelling evidence. He added that the decision regarding the UN experts' report is up to the Yemen sanctions committee, which consists of diplomats from 15 Security Council member countries. Nikki Haley has stated that the U.S. is considering various actions against Iran, including tightening restrictions related to missile programs and sanctioning individuals and entities in Iran.