Yemen missile intercepted at Saudi airport may be Iran-made: UN experts

If true, it would be in violation of a UN arms embargo on Yemen and of a ban on weapons sales by Iran

AFP | PTI  |  United Nations 

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UN experts who travelled to to inspect fragments of a missile fired from Yemen last month have found a possible link to an Iranian manufacturer, a confidential document suggested on Friday.

and the United States have accused of supplying weapons to Yemen's Huthi rebels who fired a missile intercepted near airport on November 4.


Weapons supplies to the Huthis would be in violation of a UN arms embargo on Yemen and of a ban on weapons sales by

The UN panel of experts travelled to last month to inspect the components of missiles fired in May, July and more recently on November 4 and reported to the Security Council on their findings.

The panel wrote that a component recovered from the impact point of the November 4 missile attack was "marked with a logo similar to that of the Sahid Begheri Industrial Group" which is "a subsidiary of the Iranian Aerospace Industries Organisation."

In a letter sent to on November 24, the panel requested information on the individuals and companies to which the Sahid Begheri Industrial Group exported the missile component.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley last month called for action against over the missile attacks from Yemen against Saudi Arabia, which has described as a "direct aggression".

Haley cited information supplied by showing that a missile fired in July was an Iranian Qiam and that this weapon was not present in Yemen before the conflict.

has repeatedly denied that it is supplying the Huthis with arms.

Earlier this week, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi denied that has "any military connection with Yemen", although Tehran says it supports the Shiite Huthis politically.

The coalition imposed a blockade of Yemen's air and sea ports and borders after the missile was fired at Riyadh, citing concerns that weapons were being smuggled into Yemen.

While the coalition has eased the blockade to allow some deliveries of humanitarian aid, the United Nations maintains that it needs full access to deliver lifesaving food, medicine and fuel.

The UN has warned that unless the blockade is lifted, Yemen will face "the largest famine the world has seen for decades".

Some supplies have been allowed by the coalition to reach rebel-held Sanaa and the Saleef Red Sea port, also in Huthi hands.

But little aid has entered through the port of Hodeida, the main conduit for UN-supervised deliveries of food and medicine.

The intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi after the Huthis forced him into exile.

Coalition air strikes have faced repeated criticism over civilian casualties.

First Published: Sat, December 02 2017. 11:15 IST