Concrete proof about Iran's breach of UNSC resolutions: Haley
By Lalit K JhaWashington, Dec 15 (PTI) US Ambassador to the UnitedNations Nikki Haley has said there are concrete evidences toprove that Iran is violating UN Security Council resolutionson weapons proliferation.
"The fight against Iranian aggression is the world'sfight. The United States is acting today in the spirit oftransparency and international cooperation that is necessaryto defeat this threat," she said yesterday, standing in frontof a charred ballistic missile the size of a car during apress conference at Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling here.
"In this warehouse is concrete evidence of illegalIranian weapons proliferation, gathered from direct militaryattacks on our partners in the region," she added.
Haley held the news conference to what she said "unveilclear evidence" of Iran's violations of UN Security Councilresolutions and highlight recent findings communicated in theUN Secretary-General's Resolution 2231 Implementation Report.
"Behind me is an example of one of these attacks. Theseare the recovered pieces of a missile fired by Houthimilitants from Yemen into Saudi Arabia. The missile's intendedtarget was the civilian airport in Riyadh, through which tensof thousands of passengers travel each day. I repeat: Thismissile was used to attack an international civilian airportin a G-20 country," she told reporters.
"Just imagine if this missile had been launched at DullesAirport or JFK, or the airports in Paris, London, or Berlin.
That's what we're talking about here. That's what Iran isactively supporting. What is most revealing about this missileis what's not here. This is a short-range ballistic missile.
It is missing the large stabiliser fins that are typicallypresent on these kinds of missiles," she said.
The Iranian Qiam missile is the only known short-rangeballistic missile in the world that lacks such stabiliser finsand includes nine valves that you will see running along thelength of the missile. "Those valves are essentially Iranianmissile fingerprints," Haley said.
The highest-ranking Indian-American in the Trumpadministration said the US welcomes UN Secretary-General'sResolution 2231 Implementation Report, as should every nationconcerned about Iranian expansion.
Most telling, the report makes a convincing case thatIran is illegally providing the Houthi militants in Yemen withdangerous weapons, she said.
The report provides devastating evidence of missiles,conventional arms and explosive boats of Iranian origin usedby the rebels in Yemen -– all of which violate UN resolutions,she added.
The US and its partners went to great lengths to supportthe UN investigations into Iranian violations by declassifyingevidence so that the world could better be informed of theextent of Iran's "malign activities", the diplomat said.
Haley told reporters that the warehouse also had materialfrom an anti-tank guided missile which have a range of overtwo miles and can destroy tanks and even buildings.
"You will see material from an unmanned aerial vehicle,also known as a kamikaze drone, that can take out radar sites.
You will see material from a SHARK-33 explosive boat. Theseare boats with a warhead inside them that explodes on impact.
They can blow six feet wide holes in the hulls of ships," shesaid.
"All of these weapons include parts made in Iran, some byIran's government-run defence industry. All are proof thatIran is defying the international community. And not just onetime. This evidence demonstrates a pattern of behaviour inwhich Iran sows conflict and extremism in direct violation ofUN Security Council resolutions," she said.
At the UN headquarters in New York, the BritishAmbassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft said they are extremelyconcerned about Iran's role in this region.
"We have seen those reports, we are following up verycarefully with the United Nations. It is important that theSecurity Council does our job, which is to assess the reportsabout Iran's behaviour and then takes appropriate action," hetold reporters in response to a question.
Senator Marco Rubio commended the administration fordeclassifying information and materials related to Iran's"malign" activities.
"As the United States weighs the future of the flawedIran nuclear deal, the US and our allies must do more to stopthe Iranian terror-sponsoring regime's growing support forHouthi rebels in Yemen and other militant groups in the MiddleEast," he said. PTI LKJKIS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.