Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami has refuted Washington’s allegations about Tehran’s involvement in the latest missile attack launched by Yemeni Houthi rebels targeting Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh.
“Such unreasonable statements prove the collapse of US policy in the region and the world and they are more like a ridiculous and unworthy performance,” Hatami said in a statement published on the ministry’s website.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has also refuted the statements accusing Tehran of supplying the Houthis with arms.
“Iran does not have any ties with Yemen regarding armament. Yemen is in a blockade, and there is generally no such possibility,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told Al Alam broadcaster, adding that “the people of Yemen” are using weapons taken from military bases.
The statement was made after the US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley during her speech at a UN Security Council meeting had accused Iran supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen with weapons in violation of two UN resolutions.
Reacting to the “baseless and provocative” accusations, Iran summoned Swiss ambassador on December 19, who also represents the US in the country, to express protest over Washington’s statements.
On the same day, Houthis have reportedly launched a ballistic missile targeting the royal palace in Riyadh, intercepted by the Saudi forces south of the capital, with no casualties reported as a result of the attack.