Iran Rejects Involvement In Escalating Red Sea Tension

(MENAFN- IANS) Tehran, Dec 31 (IANS) Iran's envoy to the United Nations (UN) has rejected the accusations by the United States and Britain about Tehran's role in escalating tensions in the Red Sea, Iran's official news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, made the remarks on Monday in letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, UN Security Council (UNSC) president for the month of December, while reacting to what he called "baseless and politically-motivated" anti-Tehran claims made by the US and British representatives at a UNSC briefing earlier in the day.

During the briefing, US Deputy Representative to the UN Dorothy Shea accused Iran of "fully funding" Yemen's Houthis and providing them with "lethal weapons" for attacks on Israel.

In similar remarks, Barbara Woodward, British permanent representative to the UN, also accused Iran of assisting the Yemeni armed forces in their ongoing operations against Israel.

Iravani denounced these accusations as "unfounded" claims intended to escalate tensions and create an excuse to cause further instability in West Asia.

He also slammed Israel as being behind these "baseless" accusations, in a "clear bid" to throw dirt on Iran and to cover its own "illegal actions and destructive activities."

The Iranian envoy emphasised that it is Israel, not Iran, that has always pursued a policy of "provocation" and has long been a "serious threat" to peace and security in the region and beyond, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said Iran has always been committed to international law, the UN Charter, and UNSC resolutions.

The Houthi group has been launching regular rocket and drone attacks against Israel and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid their conflict with Israelis. In response, Israel and the US-British naval coalition in the region have been conducting intermittent strikes on Houthi targets to deter the group.

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