The United States will in the coming days discuss several options for UN Security Council action against Iran such as sanctions for violating the arms embargo on Yemen, Ambassador Nikki Haley said Tuesday.

During a council meeting on Iran, Haley drew a list of possible measures that immediately drew strong reservations from Russia, which has friendly relations with Tehran.

The United States has accused Iran of arming rebels in Yemen, providing missiles that have been fired at Saudi Arabia, a key US ally.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia shot down over Riyadh a ballistic missile fired by the Huthi rebels, in a strike that Haley said "bears all the hallmarks of previous attacks using Iranian-provided weapons."

The missile attack on Riyadh should be a "flashing red siren for this council," she said.

Haley suggested strengthening a 2015 resolution endorsing the landmark Iranian nuclear deal or adopting a new measure barring Iran from developing missiles.

Under the current resolution, the council calls on Iran not to undertake any launches of missiles capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, but there is no ban on missile tests.

"We could explore sanctions on Iran in response to clear its violations of the Yemen arms embargo," said Haley, who also suggested targeting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard for action.

"In the coming days, we will continue to explore these options and others with our colleagues," Haley said.

Russia quickly signaled that it would not endorse Haley's proposals.

Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said it was time to "abandon the language of threats and sanctions" and opt instead for dialogue to "concentrate on broadening cooperation and trust."

Last week, Haley presented what she called "irrefutable evidence" that Iran had supplied the rebels in Yemen with missiles that she put on display at a Washington military base.

Iran dismissed the accusations as false and said they were intended to divert attention from the devastating war being waged in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition.

The UN report said UN officials had examined debris from missiles fired at Saudi Arabia which pointed to a "common origin" but there was no firm conclusion as to whether they came from an Iranian supplier.

UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman told the council that the United Nations was "not yet in a position to confirm whether those missiles were Iranian Qiam-1 missiles" transferred in violation of UN resolutions.

Iran 'strongly denies' arming Yemen rebels
Tehran (AFP) Dec 20, 2017 - Tehran strongly denied on Wednesday that it had supplied weapons to Yemeni rebels which they used in attacks on its archfoe Saudi Arabia as alleged by both Riyadh and Washington.

"We have no arms link with Yemen," foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told the ISNA news agency, after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a rebel missile over Riyadh on Tuesday that it suggested was "Iranian-manufactured".

"The accusation that Iran gives weapons to various groups is rejected and we strongly deny it," he said.

"Yemen is in a blockade and such possibility does not exist anyway."

The audacious attack aimed at the heart of Saudi power follows the downing of another missile last month near Riyadh airport that triggered the tightening of a Saudi-led blockade on hunger-stricken Yemen.

Weapons used by the rebels "to defend against violation and non-stop attacks" are leftovers of previous governments, Ghasemi said.

"There isn't even the possibility of sending humanitarian aid."

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling Shiite rebels in Yemen since March 2015 and has repeatedly accused Shiite Iran of backing its co-religionists.

"The possession of Iranian-manufactured ballistic weapons by terrorist organisations, including the Iran-backed Huthi militia, is a threat to regional and international security," coalition spokesman said on Tuesday.

US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley described the strike as bearing "all the hallmarks of previous attacks using Iranian-provided weapons".

She said Washington would be discussing options for Security Council action against Tehran, although that immediately drew strong reservations from Moscow.

More than 8,750 people have been killed since Saudi Arabia and its allies joined the beleaguered government's fight against the rebels, triggering what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Tweet

Iran airs alleged confession of death-row academic
Tehran (AFP) Dec 18, 2017
Iranian public television has broadcast images it says show the confession of an academic sentenced to death for spying for Israel during nuclear talks with world powers. In the video aired late Sunday and prepared by Iran's intelligence ministry, Ahmadreza Djalali says he worked with a foreign intelligence agency while studying in Europe. Djalali, an Iranian emergency medicine specialis ... read more

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only