Iran slams ’unwarranted’ war on Yemen
US not in proxy war with Iran: Biden
Iran lambasted the United States and Britain for their “unwarranted” war on Yemen as a US-led coalition carried out a new strike on the Arab country on Saturday.
On Friday, a US-led coalition launched its first military strike on Yemen after the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning “in the strongest terms” the multiple attacks by the Yemeni forces on Israel-bound ships.
During recent months, Yemen’s armed forces have been staging missile and drone strikes against vessels linked to the Israeli regime or those heading to Israeli ports in support of war-hit Palestinians in Gaza, which has been under Israel’s brutal attacks since October 7.
“This unwarranted war violates Yemen’s sovereignty, international law, the UN Charter, and Security Council resolutions, jeopardizing regional peace and security,” the Permanent Mission of Iran to the United Nations said in a statement on Friday, posted on X.
Iran slammed the US and UK’s “illegal actions,” saying that “their opposition to Russia’s amendments to the [UN] resolution hints at a premeditated intention to commit this aggression.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also wrote on X: “Instead of a military attack on Yemen, the White House should immediately stop all military and security cooperation with Tel Aviv against the people of Gaza and the West Bank so that security returns to the entire region.”
The United States has been providing Israel with unbridled military and political support in its onslaught against Gaza, arming Tel Aviv with more than 10,000 tons of military hardware. The US has also cast its veto against all United Nations Security Council resolutions that have called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Referring to the Yemeni strikes, Amir-Abdollahian wrote, “Yemen’s measure in support of Gaza’s women and children and confrontation against the Israeli regime’s genocide is commendable.”
Fresh strikes
The US carried out a fresh strike Saturday on Yemen, targeting a radar site after the Ansarallah resistance movement in Yemen warned of further attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The strike came a day after US and British forces hit scores of targets across the country, heightening fears that Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip could engulf the wider region.
The US Central Command said Saturday’s strike was “a follow-on action on a specific military target” related to the previous day’s strikes.
Ansarallah’s official media earlier said, Al-Dailami airbase in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a had been struck in the latest bombardment.
“All American-British interests have become legitimate targets” following the strikes, Ansarallah’s Supreme Political Council said.
Ansarallah’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Ezzi said the United States and Britain would “have to prepare to pay a heavy price”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides “not to escalate” in the interest of regional peace and stability, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Many regional countries, even US allies, have condemned the coalition’s attacks and expressed concern about the extension of the conflict across the region.
Division in West
Meanwhile, Italy, Spain and France stood out by not taking part in US and British strikes against Yemen and not signing a statement put out by 10 countries justifying the attacks.
The divergence highlights divisions in the West over the US-led strikes on Yemen.
US President Joe Biden called the strikes a successful “defensive action” after the “unprecedented” Red Sea attacks and said he would act again if the Ansarallah movement continued what he called their “outrageous behavior”.
But Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said the Western strikes would fuel “insecurity and instability in the region” while “diverting” attention from Gaza.
Biden said Friday he’s delivered a message to Iran with Thursday’s airstrikes.
“I’ve already delivered the message to Iran,” Biden said when asked his message during a tour of a coffee shop in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
When Biden was asked if the US is in a proxy war with Iran, he said “No. Iran does not want a war with us.”
The US National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby also said that the US is “not looking for conflict with Iran,” which is supporting the resistance groups across the Middle East region.