US: The Islamic Republic Cannot Hide Behind the Houthis and Must Immediately Cease Destabilizing Actions

The Deputy Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations, on Monday during remarks at the Security Council, described the transfer of weapons from the Islamic Republic to the Houthi rebels in Yemen as "unprecedented" and called for an end to this action by the Iranian government. Robert Wood stated that if this body seeks to end the civil war in Yemen, it must unanimously warn the Islamic Republic that it can no longer "hide behind the Houthis" and must immediately cease its destabilizing actions. He added, "There is extensive evidence showing that the Islamic Republic is providing advanced weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, to the Houthis in violation of UN sanctions. For this reason, the UN Security Council must stop the ongoing violations of the arms embargo and take further actions against violators of the sanctions." The Houthi rebels, supported by the Islamic Republic, have taken control of parts of Yemen and began attacking international commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden a few weeks after the start of the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. They claim that the purpose of these attacks is to pressure Israel to end the war with Hamas in Gaza. The U.S. Maritime Administration announced in Farvardin this year that the Houthis have attacked various ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden more than 50 times since last November (Aban 1402), but their attacks have significantly decreased in recent months due to serious confrontations with U.S. and British forces. The U.S. Central Command, CENTCOM, is responsible for confronting and preventing the Houthi's sabotage actions in international waters. On Monday, CENTCOM reported in its daily report on events in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that U.S. forces destroyed a drone in areas controlled by the Iranian-affiliated Houthis and another drone of theirs over the Red Sea. According to CENTCOM, the U.S. ship "USS Mason" also destroyed an anti-ship ballistic missile launched by the Houthis on Monday, allowing commercial ships and coalition vessels to pass through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on May 13 without material damage or casualties from the Houthi rebel group. An attempt by "pirates" to seize a ship in eastern Aden failed. The Iranian-backed Houthis claimed to have attacked three ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The new threat from the Houthis of Yemen: We will target Israeli ships in the Mediterranean. The Islamic Republic claims to have released the crew of the "MSC Aris" ship. The Houthis claimed to have targeted two ships and one American destroyer; CENTCOM denied this claim. The Houthis claimed to have attacked four vessels in the Gulf of Aden.