News / Interviews

US cannot accuse Iran of sending arms to Yemen: Pundit

Monday, 31 October 2016 4:54 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 31 October 2016 4:56 PM ]

This file photo taken on November 16, 2015 shows a Saudi F-15 fighter jet landing at the Khamis Mushayt military airbase, some 880 km from the capital Riyadh, as the Saudi army conducts operations over Yemen. (Photo by AFP)

A senior US naval official has accused Iran of sending arms and missiles to Yemen's Ansarullah Movement. The head of US Naval Forces Central Command Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan recently claimed that the US and its partner nations had intercepted five shipments of weapons headed from Iran towards Yemen. Iran has denied the allegations, stressing that these false claims are being made as the West continues to sell deadly arms to Saudi Arabia.

An academic believes the United States is in no position to accuse Iran of sending arms to Yemen when it is supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia itself.

“I believe that the United States cannot direct accusations against any nation including Iran of sending shipments of arms to the Houthis in Yemen as long as it is financing and selling advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia who is the aggressor against Yemen,” Jamal Wakim, professor at Lebanese International University, told Press TV.

He also argued Washington should be accused of “breaking the international law” for selling arms to Riyadh.

The academic further noted the United States has built its “strategy” and “hegemony” in the Middle East based on its alliance with Saudi Arabia.

He also opined that it is not easy to shake the “strong” and “old” relations between Washington and Riyadh despite some criticisms directed against Saudi Arabia by the United States.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Wakim stated Saudi Arabia’s membership at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) proves that the UN has a lot of flaws and it has always been an “accessory of American foreign policies”.

He also noted the Saudis seek to remain in this council in order to prevent the United Nations from addressing Saudi regime’s human rights breaches in Yemen.

“It has been done before. The Saudis were able to prevent a report from directing criticism to Saudi Arabia. They eliminated the part that tackled the Saudi war crimes and I believe that the Saudis will continue doing this for the next few years, as long as they are a member of the UNHRC,” he said.

Yemen has seen almost daily airstrikes by Saudi Arabia since late March 2015, with the UN putting the death toll at 10,000.

The United States has been providing logistic and surveillance support to Saudi Arabia in the bloody war. The Obama administration has also approved a potential $1.15-billion arms package for the kingdom.

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