Iran rejects London's accusations of arms seizure for Yemen

Iran on Friday dismissed British accusations that it seized Iranian weapons destined for Yemen in violation of a UN embargo targeting Yemeni Houthi rebels.

Iran rejects London's accusations of arms seizure for Yemen

Iran on Friday dismissed British accusations that it seized Iranian weapons destined for Yemen in violation of a UN embargo targeting Yemeni Houthi rebels.

Iran supports the Houthis in their war against power in Yemen, but denies supplying them with weapons. Its regional rival, Saudi Arabia, is at the head of a coalition that militarily supports power in this poor country on the Arabian Peninsula.

"By continually selling advanced weapons to the military coalition... Britain is a party to the aggression against Yemen, and therefore cannot bring such baseless accusations against the Islamic Republic of Iran." , said Nasser Kanani, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran, quoted by the official agency Irna.

On Thursday, the British Navy announced the seizure earlier this year of Iranian weapons, including surface-to-air missiles and engines for cruise missiles, aboard fast smuggler boats in international waters south of Iran. .

According to a statement from the British Ministry of Defense, this shipment is in violation of the UN Security Council resolution which in February extended to all Houthis the arms embargo on Yemen, applicable until then to named individuals and companies.

It is the first time that a British navy vessel has seized such sophisticated weapons from Iran, the statement added.

“Britain's arms export to coalition forces was one of the reasons for the continuation of the inhumane war in Yemen. And the British government does not have the moral authority to criticize Iran,” the Iranian spokesman added.

The conflict in Yemen since 2014 has pitted the government, supported since 2015 by the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, against the Houthis who control regions in the north and west of the country as well as the capital Sanaa.

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