NEW YORK – Russia vetoed Monday a UN draft resolution presented by Britainand strongly backed by the United States that would have pressured Iranover its failure to block supplies of missiles to Yemen’s Huthi rebels.
Britain had sought to include in the measure renewing sanctions on Yemen anexpression of “particular concern” from the Security Council over a UNreport that found Iran had violated the 2015 arms embargo on Yemen.
The report by a UN panel of experts in January concluded that Iran was inviolation after determining that missiles fired by the Huthis at SaudiArabia last year were made in Iran.
The text, which was backed by France, other European countries and Kuwait,won 11 favorable votes at the 15-member Security Council but was blocked byRussia’s veto.
China and Kazakhstan abstained, while Bolivia also voted against themeasure.
Nine votes and no vetoes from the five permanent council members –Britain, France, China, Russia and the United States — are required toadopt resolutions at the Security Council.
After hours of negotiations in a bid to reach a compromise, Russia madeclear it had strong reservations about the findings of the UN report andwould not support a draft resolution that mentioned them.
“We cannot concur with uncorroborated conclusions and evidence whichrequires verification and discussions within the sanctions committee,”Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council.
While the report found that Tehran had violated the embargo by failing toblock the shipments, the experts said they were unable to identify thesupplier.
Nebenzia warned that taking aim at Iran could have had “dangerousdestabilizing ramifications” in the Middle East by exacerbating tensionsbetween Shiites and Sunnis.
After the veto, the council unanimously adopted a Russian-drafted measurethat extended for one year the sanctions regime against Yemen, but thattext made no mention of Iran.
– US accuses Russia –
Iran has repeatedly denied arming the Huthis in Yemen, despite claims bythe United States and Saudi Arabia that the evidence of an arms connectionis irrefutable.
US Ambassador Nikki Haley released a statement accusing Russia of shieldingIran and warned the United States would consider other ways to take actionagainst Tehran.
“Today, Russia protected the terrorist-sponsoring regime in Iran,” saidHaley, who was traveling to Honduras.
“If Russia is going to use its veto to block action against Iran’sdangerous and destabilizing conduct, then the United States and ourpartners will need to take actions against Iran that the Russians cannotblock.”
Haley has taken a hawkish stance on Iran, accusing Tehran of sowinginstability in the Middle East and failing to live up to its commitmentsunder the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
Russia, which has traditionally friendly relations with Iran, is providingmilitary support along with Tehran to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’sforces.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations charged that the United States andBritain had pushed an “unwarranted draft resolution” to advance ananti-Iran political agenda.
Iran “categorically rejects allegations regarding arms transfer to Yemen,”said a statement from the mission that described the draft resolution as anattempt to “distract” the world’s attention from the “catastrophichumanitarian situation” in Yemen.
A Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government has been fighting theHuthis since 2015 in a war that has led to what the United Nationsdescribes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
An alarming 17 million people in Yemen — 60 percent of the totalpopulation — are in need of food aid, of whom seven million are on thebrink of famine because of the conflict, according to the United Nations.