Iravani responds to allegations against Iran over Yemen


https://www.saba.ye/en/news3424741.htm

Yemen News Agency SABA
Iravani responds to allegations against Iran over Yemen
[16/ January/2025]
New York - Saba:

Iran's representative to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani confirmed on Thursday his strong rejection of the allegations contained in the report of the Yemen Experts Team against Iran.

He stressed that Iran has never had any proxy groups, and does not consider other countries in the region as its agents.

According to what was reported by the Tasnim International News Agency, Iravani denounced the report issued by the Yemen Experts Team, which included accusations against Iran.. describing it as unrealistic and lacking any objective basis.

In a letter he addressed to the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Iravani considered that the report is based on false and biased assumptions, as it depicts the "Houthis" as lacking technical and technological capabilities, which justifies allegations that they receive support from "foreign trainers", according to him.

He pointed out that the report, in paragraph 65, is based on an "alleged similarity" between the weapons used by the Houthis and those linked to Iran.. claiming that this indicates that they receive Iranian support and training.

However, Iravani stressed that the Iranian authorities have carefully reviewed these allegations and categorically rejected them.. stressing that the similarity between weapons cannot be evidence of their source, because similar weapons may be manufactured in different places around the world through reverse engineering processes.

He added: The images and documents presented in the report lack credibility, and do not rise to the level of verifiable evidence.. indicating that the report suffers from a flaw in its methodology, as it relies on assumptions rather than proven facts.

In response to other allegations made by this committee regarding the training of the “Houthis” in Iranian military bases, Iravani said: “The committee claims that the Houthis received training in military bases inside Iran, but it does not provide any explanation on how to confirm this information, nor does it acknowledge the absence of any evidence to prove this. Iran categorically and without any doubt rejects these baseless accusations. Such allegations must be supported by reliable, verifiable information, and based on clear evidence.”

In another part of this letter, in response to the allegations related to the “True Promise” operations, Iravani wrote: “The Islamic Republic of Iran categorically rejects the accusations contained in paragraph 67 of the report, which relate to “the level of coordination between the Houthis, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and other resistance factions” regarding “Operation True Promise.”

“This operation was a purely Iranian military initiative, carried out within the framework of the inherent right to self-defense. It came as a direct and proportionate response to the Zionist terrorist attack on Iranian diplomatic facilities in Damascus on April 1, 2024, which is a flagrant violation of the basic principles of international law, in particular the principle of non-attack on diplomatic facilities and representatives. Such baseless allegations aim to distort the legitimate nature of Iran’s response to an unlawful act of aggression,” he said.

In another part of the letter, Iran’s representative wrote: “Iran strongly objects to the Commission’s reliance on the media and interviews with individuals speaking in a personal capacity on issues unrelated to their official duties or responsibilities. Such sources cannot reflect the official position of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

The claim that news agencies such as Tasnim and Nour News are affiliated with Iranian military bodies is also baseless. The Islamic Republic of Iran has an official government spokesperson, and the opinions or analyses of individuals not affiliated with the government cannot be considered a reflection of the official position of state institutions, according to Iravani.

In response to allegations that Iran has proxy groups in the region, he stressed that “The Islamic Republic of Iran has never had any proxy groups, nor does it consider other countries in the region as entities acting on its behalf. He added: “Ansar Allah is part of the legitimate government in Sana’a, and they operate with complete political independence, making their decisions and actions based on their own interests and priorities. Therefore, their activities and decisions are not linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran in any way.”