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UN Security Council to inspect ‘Iranian-made’ missile debris
UNITED NATIONS, United States, Jan 26, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The UN Security
Council will travel to Washington on Monday to inspect debris from missiles
allegedly provided by Iran to Yemen’s Huthi rebels and hold meetings at the
White House, diplomats said.
The ambassadors are expected to meet with President Donald Trump as the US
administration seeks international action against Iran, diplomats said.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley last month presented the fragments as
“undeniable” evidence that a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Huthi rebels
at Saudi Arabia in November was Iranian-made.
That claim was bolstered when a UN panel of experts concluded in a recent
report to the council that Iran had violated the arms embargo on Yemen by
failing to block supplies of missiles to the rebels.
Haley has invited her UN counterparts to see the missile debris stored in
a warehouse at a Washington military base.
“The evidence is undeniable. The weapons might as well have had ‘Made in
Iran’ stickers all over it,” Haley told a press conference last month.
The “evidence” stored in Washington includes other pieces of military
material allegedly provided by Iran including fragments of an anti-tank
missile and drones.
Iran has strongly denied arming the Huthis and last month accused Haley of
presenting “fabricated” evidence that the November 4 missile fired at Riyadh
airport was Iranian-made.
Haley is seeking to persuade the Security Council to take action against
Iran, possibly by imposing sanctions, but will likely face opposition from
Russia, which has friendly ties with Tehran.
A separate report last month said UN officials had examined the missile
fragments and found that they were of “common origin” but they were unable to
reach any firm conclusions about whether Iran was the source.
The US mission did not immediately respond to a request for information
about the council visit to Washington.
It will be the second time that the top UN envoys meet with Trump, who sat
down for a lunch meeting with the ambassadors in April last year.
Relations between the United Nations and the US administration have been
strained over Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital,
his threats to scrap the Iran nuclear deal and funding cuts.
The council voted 14-1 to reject Trump’s Jerusalem decision, prompting
Haley to resort to the US veto to block the condemnation.
The General Assembly later approved by a vote of 128 to 9, with 35
abstentions, the same resolution.
BSS/AFP/RY/09:08 hrs