The United States accused Iran of supplying Yemen’s Houthi rebels with advanced weapons. Previously, Saudi Arabia made the same accusations. Washington blames Iran that it supplied the rebels with a ballistic missile that struck Saudi capital, Fox News informs.
The White House issued a statement and it condemned Iran’s activities. The U.S. emphasized that it supports Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf partners against Iran’s aggression and violation of international law.
“Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia, enabled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, threaten regional security and undermine UN efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict,” the White House stated.
According to the statement, there were no missile systems in Yemen before the civil war and Iran provided them. The White House urged the UN to review evidence that Iran extends the war in Yemen to advance its regional ambitions.
Previously Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said that the missile fired at the kingdom by Yemeni rebels was a direct military aggression by the Iranian regime. Saudi-led coalition closed all ports in Yemen in response to the missile attack. All humanitarian flights are also grounded and trucks are stuck at crossings. Ships carrying necessities were ordered to leave. All of this caused concerns at the UN. The organization warned that the situation could exacerbate the already big humanitarian crisis.
The war between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis lasts for more than two years. The Houthis control the north of Yemen and the internationally recognized government of Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi controls the south, but its grip over the region is weakened. Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia backs the government of President Mansour Hadi, while Iran backs the pro-Shia Houthi movement that is loyal to the country’s former president Ali Abdulla Saleh, CNBC reported.
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