Saudi Arabia Welcomes UN Security Council Draft Resolution Condemning Iran

On Sunday, February 18, Saudi Arabia welcomed a proposed resolution supported by three permanent members of the UN Security Council regarding Iran's missile supply to Houthi rebels in Yemen. This draft resolution, backed by the UK, France, and the United States, condemns Iran for failing to prevent the Houthis from acquiring ballistic missiles. In this context, Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Foreign Minister, told Reuters that the measures outlined in this resolution, if approved, would help hold Iran accountable for what he described as the 'export of ballistic missiles' to the Houthis. He added that such a resolution would also hold Iran accountable for its 'radical and aggressive' behavior in the region, including support for terrorist groups. Yemen is described by Middle East experts and observers as a battleground for proxy wars between Iran and Saudi Arabia, key US allies in the Middle East. The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, has been actively supporting Yemen's legitimate government against the Iran-backed Houthis since March 2015. Although Iran has never concealed its support for the Houthis, it has consistently denied allegations of arming the rebel group. However, on Sunday, the Saudi Foreign Minister stated that to ensure Iran complies with international laws, a tougher stance on Iran's ballistic missiles and its support for terrorist groups is necessary. In an interview conducted on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, al-Jubeir also emphasized that 'Iran must remain accountable for its actions.' He added that Iranian missiles are regularly used by the Houthis to target civilians in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Foreign Minister also called for two amendments to the Iran nuclear deal with world powers: the lifting of so-called sunset restrictions and the expansion of oversight to include undeclared military sites. Reuters noted that the draft resolution presented to the Security Council on Friday is likely to face resistance from Moscow. Of the five permanent members of the Security Council, three support this resolution, and thus, if Russia and China, the other two permanent members, do not veto it, the support of nine Security Council members will be sufficient for its approval. In this regard, the Saudi Foreign Minister expressed hope that Moscow would be encouraged to support the measures outlined in this resolution. This draft extends UN sanctions on Yemen for another year and will allow the Security Council to impose targeted sanctions on 'any activity related to the use of ballistic missiles in Yemen.' According to diplomats, this draft was prepared by the UK but was consulted with the US and France before its public presentation on Friday. The Trump administration has been engaging in consultations aimed at holding Iran accountable at the UN for months, while simultaneously threatening to withdraw from the deal if 'catastrophic flaws' in the Iran nuclear agreement are not addressed. Reuters reminded that independent UN experts monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions reported last month to the Security Council that they found remnants of missiles that are originally Iranian and 'were transferred to Yemen after the imposition of an arms embargo.' These experts stated that while 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.