Iran warns of ‘negative consequences’ to UN resolution on Yemen

TEHRAN: Tehran on Tuesday warned of "negative consequences" to a UN Security Council resolution that has extended an arms embargo to all of Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, rather than some of the group’s leaders.

The resolution "will have negative consequences on the path to peace and will further distance the positions of the conflicting parties", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.

Yemen has since 2014 been embroiled in a civil war between the Huthis and the internationally recognised government, which is supported by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia, Iran’s regional rival.

The Security Council resolution -- proposed by the United Arab Emirates, which is part of the coalition -- was adopted on Monday with 11 votes in favour and four abstentions. Khatibzadeh said the resolution passed "under the influence of the political considerations and lobbying of the aggressor coalition countries", adding that it impedes "efforts for the resumption of the political process".

"A biased and unrealistic view of Yemen... has been a factor for the continuation and prolongation of the worst human catastrophe of the century," Khatibzadeh added. The UAE has been on heightened alert since January 17 when a Huthi drone and missile attack killed three oil workers in the capital Abu Dhabi.

The Huthis have also regularly launched attacks against Saudi Arabia. Riyadh accuses Iran of providing military support to the rebels, especially missiles and rockets, claims that Tehran denies.

The Security Council resolution states that the Huthi rebels in their entirety will now be subject to an arms embargo first declared in 2015 on some of their leaders. Experts have warned that targeting the rebels runs the risk of making the United Nations seem to lose its neutrality in the Yemen war.