UN Experts: The Houthi Missile Fired at Riyadh Likely Made in Iran

According to a "classified" report from the United Nations, the missile fired by Yemen's Shia Houthis towards Riyadh "is likely linked to the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group," which manufactures some of Iran's missiles. As reported by AFP on Friday, December 1, this report has been shared with the UN Security Council. A group of UN experts traveled to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, last month to inspect and review the remnants of missiles fired by the Houthis in Yemen. The experts' report states that a piece of a missile fired on November 4, about a month ago, "bears logo markings similar to those of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group." The Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group, which is listed in the US and EU sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile activities, is a subsidiary of Iran's aerospace industries. This UN report was published a day after Saudi state media reported on Thursday, November 30, the "interception and destruction" of another missile that had been fired towards the southwest of the country. This was the second missile fired by Houthi militia forces backed by the Islamic Republic into Saudi territory in the past month. The first missile, which was fired towards Riyadh and claimed by the Houthis, sparked a wave of controversy and hostility between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia, which has also extended to Lebanon and continues to this day. Riyadh has blamed the Islamic Republic from the outset for the missile launch, accusing Tehran of providing the Houthis with the missile, an accusation that Tehran has denied. However, as reported by Reuters and AFP, the logo of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group was clearly visible on the remnants of this missile. Media reports also indicate that UN experts requested the names and details of all individuals and groups to whom parts of this missile were exported in an official letter to Iran less than ten days ago. No report has yet been published regarding Iran's response to this official letter. In this context, last month, the US permanent representative to the UN, based on information received from Saudi Arabia, stated that a missile fired last summer "was of the Qiam type and had not been seen prior to the war in Yemen." Meanwhile, Iran has always denied sending weapons and ammunition to the Houthis but has recently acknowledged that it has an "advisory presence" in Yemen. Sending weapons to the Houthis is both against the UN arms embargo on Yemen and a violation of Iran's arms sales sanctions. A regional coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been conducting military operations in Yemen since 2015 to support the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and counter the Shia Houthi militia.