ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Friday denied that the UK had seized an Iranian arms shipment to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, saying Britain was in no position to make such “unfounded” claims as it accused it of being complicit in the Yemeni war by arming the Saudi-led coalition in the war-torn country.
The British defense ministry on Thursday claimed that the Royal Navy earlier this year confiscated a cruise missile from an Iranian vessel that was likely bound for Yemen.
The newly-appointed spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry Nasser Kanaani addressed the British claims, referring to them as “baseless” and “outdated.”
Kanaani stated that the UK was not in a position to make such charges, accusing the Brits of providing weapons to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, effectively leading to the continuation of the conflict, reported state media.
Yemen has been in a civil war since late 2014 between Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government, supported by the Saudi-led coalition.
Kanaani added that the UK continues to export arms to the coalition, despite the fact that they are “well aware” that the weapons are being used to target “defenseless people.”
The Houthis took over Sana’a in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led military intervention the following year and igniting a war that has caused what the United Nations terms the "world's worst humanitarian crisis."
The Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition agreed to observe a two-month truce in April, the first cessation of hostilities in Yemen since 2016. The ceasefire was renewed for an additional two months in June.
“By agreeing to implementing and now renewing the truce, the parties have provided a rare glimmer of hope to Yemenis that an end to this devastating conflict is possible,” Hans Grundberg, UN special envoy for Yemen said last month.
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