U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Thursday unveiled recently declassified evidence that she believes proves Iran is violating international law by funneling missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
"Its ballistic missiles and advanced weapons are turning up in war zones across the region," Haley said at a press conference at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. "It's hard to find a conflict or a terrorist group in the Middle East that does not have Iran's fingerprints all over it."
Haley then pushed back against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's recent New York Times op-ed, in which he argued that Iran's military activities comply with international law, saying that a newly released report tells the opposite story of what Zarif claims.
"It tells the story of Iran as the arsonist. The report shows the Tehran regime not putting out fires, but fanning the flames of conflict in the region," Haley said. "In its strongest language yet, the secretary general's report shows violation after violation of weapons transfers and ballistic missile activity. The United States welcomes this report, as should every nation concerned about uranium expansion."
Haley added that the report makes a "convincing case" that Iran is illegally providing the Houthi militants in Yemen with dangerous weapons.
"The report provides devastating evidence of missiles, conventional arms, and explosive boats of Iranian origin used by the rebels in Yemen, all of which violate U.N. resolutions," Haley said. " The United States and our partners went to great lengths to support the U.N. investigations into Iranian violations by declassifying evidence, so that the world could better be informed of the extent of Iran's maligned activities. "
Haley said the fight against Iran's aggression is the world's fight and that the United States is acting today in the spirit of transparency and cooperation to help defeat this threat.
She then presented what she described as recovered pieces of a missile fired by Houthi militants from Yemen into Saudi Arabia, missing a civilian airport in Riyadh, its intended target. She reiterated that the missile was intended for an international civilian airport where tens of thousands of people travel every day, and then asked the audience to imagine if this happened at Dulles International Airport near D.C. or John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City
"This evidence is part of what has led the U.S. intelligence community to conclude unequivocally that these weapons were supplied by the Iranian regime," Haley said. "The evidence is undeniable. The weapons might as well have had 'Made in Iran' stickers all over it. The United States stands ready to share what we know to further the cause of peace. We ask our friends and our allies to do the same."