Iran Dismisses US Story about Missile Fuel Shipment to Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian UN mission vehemently rejected the US Navy’s claims that Iran was trying to smuggle 70 tons of a missile fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a ship bound for Yemen.
In a statement on Thursday, the permanent mission of Iran to the United Nations in New York dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying Tehran stands fully committed to the UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which imposes an arms embargo on Yemen.
Iran “has not taken any action against the resolution, and is actively cooperating with the sanctions committee formed to oversee the arms embargo,” the statement noted, adding that none of the accusations leveled against Iran about arms smuggling to Yemen have been substantiated.
The diplomatic mission further said that “Iran is doing its utmost to restore the truce agreement, and facilitate dialogue among Yemeni groups as soon as possible in order to establish peace and stability in Yemen,” Press TV reported.
The US Navy claimed on Tuesday that Coast Guard ship USCGC John Scheuerman and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans stopped a traditional wooden sailing vessel, known as a dhow, in the Sea of Oman on November 8.
It claimed that sailors discovered bags of ammonium perchlorate hidden inside what initially appeared to be a shipment of 100 tons of urea.
The forces further alleged that the amount of ammonium perchlorate discovered could fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles that fighters for the popular Ansarullah resistance movement have used to target facilities inside Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in retaliatory strikes.