December 29, 2017
United Nations officials have found that missiles fired at Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels appear to have a “common origin,” but they are still investigating US and Saudi claims that Iran supplied them.
The officials, who traveled to Saudi Arabia to examine the debris of missiles fired on July 22 and November 4, wrote UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in their fourth semi-annual report on the implementation of UN sanctions and restrictions on Iran.
They found “that the missiles had similar structural and manufacturing features which suggest a common origin,” said Guterres in his Friday report to the UN Security Council, seen by Reuters.
The report comes amid calls by the United States for Iran to be held accountable for violating UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen and Iran by supplying weapons to the Houthis.
Iran has denied supplying the Houthis with weapons, saying the US and Saudi allegations are “baseless and unfounded.”
Guterre’s report said the UN officials saw three components, which Saudi authorities said came from the missile fired on November 4. The components “bore the castings of a logo similar to that of the Shahid Bagheri Industrial Group,” and Iran firm blacklisted by the UN.
The officials are “still analyzing the information collected and will report back to the Security Council,” wrote Guterres.
A separate report to the Security Council last month by a panel of independent experts found that four missiles fired this year into Saudi Arabia appear to have been designed and manufactured by Iran.
However, the panel said it “as yet has no evidence as to the identity of the broker or supplier” of the missiles, which were likely shipped to the Houthis in violation of a UN arms embargo.
“I encourage the United States to maintain its commitments to the [JCPOA] and to consider the broader implications for the region and beyond before taking any further steps,” Guterres wrote. “Similarly, I encourage the Islamic Republic of Iran to carefully consider the concerns raised by other participants.”