Pompeo: US seizes weapons sent by Iran to Yemen
Referring to the seizure of a ship carrying Iranian weapons for Yemen's Houthi militias, the US Secretary of State said that Iran is not adhering to the provisions of the UN arms embargo, which expires in four months.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that US forces and their partners had seized a ship carrying Iranian weapons for Houthi rebels in Yemen on June 28. The partners were not named.
According to him, these weapons included 200 RPGs, more than 1,700 Kalashnikovs, 21 surface-to-air missiles and land-based missiles, several anti-tank missiles, and other advanced weapons and missiles.
Pompeo announced this at a press conference at the US State Department on Wednesday, July 8, calling the extension of the arms embargo on Iran necessary, saying: "The Security Council must extend the arms embargo on Iran and prevent further conflicts in the region."
He added: "No serious person can believe that Iran will use the weapons it receives for peaceful purposes."
Pompeo is leading a campaign to urge the UN Security Council to extend these sanctions, which are set to expire in mid-October.
The United States, which withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) in 2018, has submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council in this regard.
Last week, Pompeo directly called on the 15-member Security Council to extend arms embargoes on Iran, but Russia and China, which hold veto power in the Security Council, opposed the request.
The Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran, have been at war with the Yemeni government, which is backed by a Saudi-led military coalition, since 2015.
Pompeo noted that a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week confirmed that weapons seized by US forces in November 2019 and February 2020 were of “Iranian origin.” The US had said the weapons belonged to Iran and were destined for Yemen’s Houthis.
The Islamic Republic's representative called Guterres' report "containing serious flaws, inaccuracies, and inconsistencies."
Pompeo also referred to the assassination of Hisham al-Hashemi, a prominent Iraqi journalist and critic of Iran's role and interference in Iraq, saying: "He had been repeatedly threatened by Iranian-backed armed groups in the days leading up to his death."
Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated by masked motorcyclists on Monday evening, July 6, as he left his home in Baghdad.
He was also known internationally and had published numerous reports on extremist groups and Iran's role in Iraq, and was investigating the activities of extremist groups in Iraq.
Source: DW
