In a letter addressed to the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, Iranian envoy Gholamali Khoshroo protested against the accusations and threats raised by the spokesperson of the Saudi military coalition, stressing that such threats and allegations are contrary to the UN Charter which forbids all members from using threat or force in their international relations.
“The aim of the accusations raised by Saudi officials is to deviate the public opinion from their own crimes in Yemen,” Khoshroo added.
The Iranian envoy strongly called on Saudi regime to put an immediate end to its destabilizing policies in the region, including the military intervention in Yemen that has led to famine in that country.
“It is disastrous that the three permanent members of the Security Council, which back Saudi Arabia’s claims against Iran, are the very same countries which sell billions of dollars of deadly and advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia, which are regularly used against civilians in Yemen,” he said.
Following is the full text of Khoshroo's letter to the UN Secretary-General:
Excellency;
Upon instruction from my Government and with reference to the letter dated 26 March 2018 (S/2018/266) from the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, and pursuant to my letter dated 22 January 2018 regarding missile launches during Saudi’s military aggression against Yemen, while the Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects those baseless allegations contained in this letter, I have the honor to draw your attention to the following:
The Islamic Republic of Iran has never transferred or smuggled missiles, arms and military equipment to Yemen in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions 2216 and 2231. Iran strongly opposes all biased and false claims in this regard.As Yemen is under total blockade by the Saudi-led Coalition, the possibility of smuggling ballistic missiles is an unfounded and imaginary claim. Accusing Iran of providing or smuggling missiles to one of the parties to the conflict in Yemen is nothing but an attempt to conceal the brutal and unlawful aggression in Yemen and the extremely appalling situation caused by such aggression, including the indiscriminate targeting of civilians and humanitarian blockade that continues to impose the intolerable suffering of the Yemeni people. In my letter dated 21February 2018 (S/2018/145) addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, I have explained the serious flaws regarding the authenticity and credibility of such claims.
It has been the usual practice by the Saudi regime, as the main party responsible for such a catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen, to cover up their reprehensible crimes by introducing false charges against other countries or attempt to spread the crisis beyond Yemen's borders in order to divert attention from the root cause of the Yemeni crisis, i.e. the military aggression by Saudi Arabia. The usual scenario for the political and military authorities of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been to repeat their unfounded assumptions and allegations followed by the threat to use of force against a United Nations member state in clear defiance of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter. The last case was the unlawful statement by coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki on 26 March 2018.
Iran strongly urges the Saudi regime to immediately put an end to its destabilizing policies in the region, including its military intervention as well as its starvation campaign in Yemen, and continues to call on all parties in Yemen to pursue diplomatic ways and means to resolve the conflict.
The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the military aggression of Saudi Arabia in Yemen as the main underlying reason for the escalation of the crisis and the creation of the current disastrous situation in that country. Numerous reports by the United Nations and other relevant bodies and institutions have so far documented the crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition against Yemeni civilians, as well as many incidences of engagement by the Coalition in violating international law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The implementation of Security Council resolution 2216 shall not be interpreted in a way that creates commitment only for one party and leaves the other party open-handed in terms of the disastrous humanitarian situation created as the result of aggression. The Security Council has confined its role to calling all parties to comply with international humanitarian law; there has never been any independent authority to secure humanitarian access in Yemen.
At the same time, it is tragic that the three Permanent Members of the Security Council who stoke smuggling allegations against Iran in tandem with the Saudi regime are the ones who are selling billions of dollars of deadly, advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia that are regularly used against civilians and civilian targets in Yemen.
It is imperative for the international community to stand up against these tired, misleading accusations of the Saudi regime against others and hold Saudi regime leaders accountable for their criminal acts wherein intervening can effectively end the senseless aerial attacks, stop the selling of arms to Saudi, establish a ceasefire, ensure the delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance to the people of Yemen without any discrimination, and restore peace and stability in this country through Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue on national reconciliation without preconditions.
I should be grateful if you would have the present letter circulated as a document of the Security Council.
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Gholamali Khoshroo
Ambassador
Permanent Representative
H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres
Secretary-General
United Nations, New York
H.E. Mr. Karel Jan Gustaaf van Oosterom
President of the Security Council
United Nations, New York
MS/4260313