The United Kingdom has presented evidence against Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), proving their violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
Early last year, the British frigate, “HMS Montrose”, seized Iranian weapons from speed boats operated by smugglers in international waters to the south of Iran. The weapons, which included surface-to-air-missiles and engines for land attack cruise missiles, were found by the UK to be in contravention of UNSC resolutions 2231 and 2140.
In a statement by the UK’s Defence Ministry, it said that the weapons seized by “HMS Montrose” proved that the IRGC is smuggling weapons to areas in the region, including Yemen, where the Iranians continue to support the Houthi rebels in the ongoing conflict. “The weapons were presented to representatives of the United Nations, who provide an assessment of the conflict in Yemen and Iranian nuclear activity”, the statement said.
A major piece of evidence presented by the UK was that of a captured commercial quadcopter drone designed for reconnaissance activities. According to the Defence Ministry, “by decrypting the internal memory of the uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) controllers, the UK Ministry of Defence discovered the records of 22 test flights conducted at the IRGC Aerospace Force Headquarters and test facility in western Tehran”.That drone was reportedly in the same shipment as a number of surface to air missiles and components for the Iranian Project 351 land attack cruise missile, evidence of which “indicated a direct link between the Iranian state and the smuggling of missile systems being used by the Houthis to attack the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates”.
The Ministry also mentioned Iran’s supply of armed combat drones to Russia, stating that it is in violation of the UNSC’s resolution 2231. “These attacks have killed civilians and damaged critical national infrastructure (such as power substations) far from the front lines of the conflict.”
British Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, also stated that “The UK is committed to upholding international law and will continue to counter Iranian activity that contravenes United Nations Security Council Resolutions and threatens peace across the world.” He asserted that that is the reason “why we have a permanent Royal Navy deployment in the Gulf region, conducting vital maritime security operations and working in support of an enduring peace in Yemen”.
Lord Tariq Ahmad, the UK’s Minister of State for the Middle East, stated that “Once again, the Iranian regime has been exposed for its reckless proliferation of weapons and destabilising activity in the region.” Tehran’s sustained support for the Houthis and its violation of the arms embargo, he said, only further fuels the conflict in Yemen. “The UK will continue to act to protect the security of our partners and hold Iran to account,” Ahmad stated.
Source » middleeastmonitor