Russia vetoes UN resolution condemning Iran for involvement in Yemen

The UN Security Council’s condemnation of Iran for its destabilizing actions in Yemen was blocked by Russia, its ally.

By: World Israel News Staff

Russia on Monday vetoed a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution that expresses concern over Iran’s violations of UN sanctions in Yemen.

The British-drafted resolution called to condemn Iran for violating a UN arms embargo by providing missiles and drones to Shiite rebels in Yemen, as well as to take future action against Tehran.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said he opposed the draft, saying it should be about renewing the work of experts monitoring sanctions against Yemen rather than denouncing Iran.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley slammed the Russian veto. “In spite of a mountain of credible, independent evidence showing Iran violated the Yemen arms embargo, resulting in a series of attacks on civilian targets, Russia prevented accountability and endangered the entire region,” she said.

Iran has denied providing military aid to the Houthi rebels, but a UN panel of experts found in January that missiles fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia, including one that landed near the capital Riyadh, were manufactured in Iran.

Iran’s destabilizing actions in Yemen are among several operations the Islamic Republic is running in the Middle East with the objective of expanding its influence in the region.