Jordanian Officials Describe Failed Iranian Plot To Smuggle Weapons Into the Country
Appealing directly to the UN Security Council, the United States highlighted the “unprecedented” influx of weapons flowing from Iran to the Houthis and urged the body to hold the Islamic Republic directly accountable for its “destabilizing role” in exacerbating the ongoing crisis in and around Yemen.
Since November, the US Maritime Administration claims that the Iran-aligned Houthis have launched over 50 missile and drone attacks on maritime vessels in protest of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, disrupting international trade in one of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
The Houthi’s capacity to carry out attacks at such a scale, US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood argued to the UN Security Council on Monday, is predicated on Iranian shipments of advanced weaponry such as ballistic and cruise missiles.
Wood emphasized that such sales are in violation of UN sanctions and encouraged the council to strengthen sanctions enforcement if it sought an end to Yemen’s decade-long civil war.
Although Houthi attacks have declined in recent weeks following a reinvigorated US airstrike campaign, UN officials worry that provoking the group or its ally, Iran, will cause the conflict to expand in scope and scale.
