Iran Hits Back at US over Allegations of Supplying Arms to Yemen

Rasa - Iran’s Foreign Ministry denied claims by a US Navy commander that Tehran has supplied weapons to Yemeni forces, hitting back at Washington for abetting Saudi Arabia in its war crimes against people of Yemen by selling arms to the kingdom.

News ID: 424686

Date: 31 October 2016 - 15:51

RNA - Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Sunday dismissed the “false claims” made by head of US Naval Forces Central Command Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, who has accused Iran of supplying weapons to Yemeni forces.

The spokesman said such allegations come against a backdrop of global outrage at the US sale of weapons of war to the Saudi-led military coalition that continues to bomb Yemeni civilians at schools, hospitals, and residential areas.

Qassemi then bemoaned the fact that Saudi Arabia was rewarded for its continuous war crimes against Yemenis with election to the UN Human Rights Council.

He denounced Saudi membership of the council as a “bitter catastrophe and tragedy” that leaves a “dark stain on the history of humanity.”

Saudi Arabia’s election to the UN Human Rights Council follows heavy criticism from non-governmental human rights organizations, who say that the body has been hijacked by oppressive regimes looking to deflect criticism and drive their own agendas.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International issued a joint statement earlier this year, condemning Saudi Arabia for “an appalling record of violations” in Yemen, where it has conducted a bombing campaign against Houthi forces since 2015, which has resulted in the deaths of up to 4,000 civilians.

The two organizations called for Saudi Arabia, a member of the UNHRC since it was created in 2006, apart from a mandatory year-long break after two terms, to be suspended.

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