Iran condemned for sending weapons to Houthis

The United States has again condemned Iran for illegally transferring weapons to the Houthi militias in Yemen, who have been attacking ships in the Red Sea to pressure Israel to halt its war against Hamas in Gaza.

US deputy ambassador Stephanie Sullivan said Monday that despite Iranian denials that it is providing weapons, “its own state affiliated media has touted the country’s supply of prohibited ballistic missile technology to the Houthis, something UN experts have concluded as well and published in their reports.”

Sullivan spoke after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a 12-month extension of the UN mission to support the December 2018 Hodeidah Agreement, which monitors the implementation of a cease-fire agreement in Yemen’s key port city of Hodeidah between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government.

Since November, the Houthis have targeted more than 60 vessels by firing missiles and drones, killing a total of four sailors, in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. A US-led airstrike campaign has targeted the Houthis since January, killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, the rebels say.

Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Monday’s extension of the mandate allowing continued patrolling of the Red Sea ports of Hodeidah and the smaller ports of Salif and Ras Isa, and support for their demilitarization, “sends a clear message of the continued importance of the cease-fire in Hodeidah and the work to preserve it.”