UN Experts: Iran Has Violated Yemen Sanctions

United Nations experts say that the Islamic Republic of Iran has violated UN sanctions regarding the prohibition of supplying weapons to Houthi forces and their allies. On Friday, January 12, the Associated Press reported, citing parts of a report prepared by UN experts and statements from diplomats, that Iran, by violating UN sanctions, has provided missiles and unmanned military aircraft to its supported Houthi fighters in Yemen. The sanctions imposed by the Security Council regarding the Yemen war have prohibited the direct or indirect supply of weapons to the Houthis and their allies since March 2015. The 79-page report prepared by UN experts paints a grim picture of the poorest country in the Arab world amid a war that many see as a proxy battle between two regional rivals, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The report emphasizes that Yemen's existence has been stifled after a war that has lasted three years; this battle has affected 28 million people in Yemen. According to the report, more than ten thousand people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes; over seven million Yemenis are on the brink of famine; more than nineteen million people have no idea if their next daily meal will be provided; the infrastructure of clinics and hospitals is devastated; and the outbreak of cholera has endangered the lives of more than one million Yemenis. The report emphasizes that UN experts have seen no signs from the warring parties in the conflict of reducing the devastating effects of attacks against civilians; both sides recklessly target civilians. The Houthi forces (Ansar Allah) and the soldiers supporting Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president of Yemen who was killed a few weeks ago, have maintained control of Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, since 2014, while facing an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia. However, the Arab coalition, supported by the US, has been attacking opposing forces with airstrikes and later with ground assaults since March 2015. Despite this, the battles have reached a stalemate for over a year; the heavy airstrikes of the coalition forces, which support Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the UN-recognized president, have not led to further territorial gains by these forces, and the Houthis continue to control Sana'a and parts of northwestern Yemen, where most of the country's population resides. UN experts responsible for monitoring the implementation of Yemen sanctions visited Saudi Arabia twice, once in May and July 2017 and then in November and December of that year, to examine the remnants of ground-to-ground missiles fired by the Houthis at Saudi targets. The UN experts concluded that the weapons used by the Houthis have Iranian origins and that Iran has supplied them to the Houthis after the Security Council sanctions began in March 2015. According to the UN report, based on Security Council Resolution 2216, which emphasizes the prohibition of direct or indirect weapon supply to the Houthis and their allies, the review committee found that the Islamic Republic of Iran has violated this provision and has not shown the necessary caution in refraining from selling or transferring missiles and drones to the Houthis and supporters of Ali Abdullah Saleh. Iran has confirmed its support for the Houthis but denies supplying them with weapons. Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said for the first time two months ago that his country provides "advisory assistance" to Yemen. Iran has not yet responded to the new report from UN experts presented to the Security Council last Tuesday. Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, on December 23, referred to the remnants of a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis at Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, calling it a "wake-up call" for the international community and called for action against Iran, which Russia opposed. The UN report also harshly criticized the naval blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia against Yemen, which has intensified after the November 6 attack by the Houthis on Riyadh, describing it as a "threat to starve" civilians and a tool to impose military demands. Stephen Dujarric, the UN spokesperson, said on Friday that since December 20, when the Saudi-led coalition announced the lifting of the blockade on the ports of Hodeidah and Salif, 13 ships carrying urgently needed food and fuel have arrived at these ports; however, the coalition stated that this lifting of the blockade is only for one month.