US calls for UN action against Iran over Yemen missiles

A handout picture released by Iran's Defense Ministry on July 27, 2017 shows a Simorgh (Phoenix) satellite rocket at its launch site at an undisclosed location in Iran. The United States on Tuesday accused Iran of supplying a missile to Yemeni rebels that was fired into Saudi Arabia in July 2017. (AFP)

UNITED NATIONS: The United States accused Iran on Tuesday of supplying Yemen’s Houthi rebels with a missile that was fired into Saudi Arabia in July and called for the United Nations to hold Tehran accountable for violating two UN Security Council resolutions.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said information released by Saudi Arabia showed the missile fired in July was an Iranian Qiam, which she described as “a type of weapon that had not been present in Yemen before the conflict.”
Haley said that by providing weapons to the Houthis, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp‎s had violated two UN resolutions on Yemen and Iran. She said a missile shot down over Saudi Arabia on Saturday “may also be of Iranian origin.”
The missile was intercepted near Riyadh but marked the deepest strike yet into Saudi territory.
“We encourage the United Nations and international partners to take necessary action to hold the Iranian regime accountable for these violations,” Haley said.
The United States “will not turn a blind eye to these serious violations of international law by the Iranian regime,” she said.
Haley, a strong voice on foreign policy in the US administration, has repeatedly called on the UN Security Council to take a tougher stance toward Iran.
She has accused Iran of illegal arms deals and military support in Yemen, Lebanon and Syria.
The Saudi-led Arab military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Houthis forced him into exile.
Earlier in the day, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Iran’s supply of rockets to militias in Yemen is an act of “direct military aggression” that could be an act of war.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) carried the crown prince’s remarks in an article about a call between him and British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson.
Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of supplying the ballistic missile fired toward Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday night.
Iran, which supports the Houthis but denies arming them, says it had nothing to do with the attack.
In response to Saturday's missile attack on Riyadh, the Saudi-led Arab Coalition fighting Houthi insurgents and their allies in Yemen, tightened an air, land and sea blockade in response to the missile, which was intercepted near Riyadh but marked the deepest strike yet into Saudi territory.
Humanitarian flights to Yemen were grounded and ships ordered to leave, resulting in immediate price hikes on the streets of the rebel-held capital, Sanaa.
A United Nations official told The Associated Press its flights were canceled, and that it was seeking “to resolve the issue as soon as possible.” The official was not authorized to speak to the media so spoke on condition of anonymity.
In announcing the closures earlier this week, Saudi Arabia had said it would take into consideration continuing aid efforts.