Iran on Tuesday reiterated its stance that a political solution is the only way out of the deteriorating situation in Yemen, following a western bid that took aim at Tehran over its alleged failure to block military supplies to Yemen's Houthi group.
"Since the very start, Iran called for ceasefire, aid, dialogue & inclusive government. This—not a delusion of military victory or accusations—remains the only solution," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a tweet.
He also criticized the failed "desperate" attempts by the United States and Britain at the United Nations Security Council to call out Iran over the situation in Yemen.
Russia blocked a resolution at the 15-member council on Monday that would have pressured Iran over the use of missiles by the Houthis. The failed resolution had been drafted by Britain in consultation with the US and France, Reuters reported.
***US Lobbying
Over the past several months, the US administration has presented on several occasions pieces of what it claimed were Iranian weapons supplied to Houthi fighters, describing it as conclusive evidence that Tehran was violating UN resolutions. Iran has denied the allegations.
The initial draft text of the resolution, which was put to a vote at the council, aimed to renew the annual mandate of a targeted sanctions regime related to Yemen.
It also wanted to include a condemnation of Iran for allegedly violating an arms embargo on Houthi leaders and include a council commitment to take action over it.
In a bid to win Moscow's support, the draft that was vetoed had been weakened to simply "note with particular concern" the alleged violation, which was reported to the council by UN experts monitoring sanctions.
Russia has questioned the findings of the UN experts' report, which was submitted to the council in January.
Following the failed vote on the draft, the council adopted a rival Russian draft that did not mention Iran and simply renewed the UN sanctions regime on Yemen for a year.
***Cover-Up
Zarif said the move was aimed at covering up the West's "complicity" in the war crimes committed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition of nine Arab countries, including the UAE, in airstrikes against the Houthis.
The minister also told reporters in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on Tuesday, "We witnessed a hideous show in support of aggression at the Security Council, which added another bad record to the bad records of the council."
"In a few weeks, war crimes and bombings in Yemen will enter its fourth year. They [members of the Saudi-led coalition] first thought it would end in two to three weeks and that they would be able to break down the resistance of the Yemeni people, but they created a whirlpool for themselves and got stuck in it. Now they are attempting to save themselves by clutching at straws," he noted, according to Fars News Agency.
***Right Stance
In addition, President Hassan Rouhani expressed disapproval over the West's anti-Iran policies and the efforts to make a case against Iran at the UN.
"We hail the right stance of … Russia and other countries at the UN Security Council and denounce the stance adopted by countries such as the United States and Britain, which are seeking to hatch plots against Iran," he said in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, on Wednesday, his official website reported.
The British draft received 11 votes in favor, two against—Russia and Bolivia—while China and Kazakhstan abstained.
***Western Statement
Following the failed vote, the four western powers that are parties to the Iran nuclear deal condemned Iran for its alleged violation of an arms embargo on Yemen, AP reported.
France, Germany, Britain, and the US issued a joint statement on Tuesday, claiming Iran's non-compliance, as described by a UN panel of experts, "poses serious risks to peace and stability in the region."
The four countries called on Iran "to immediately cease all activities that are inconsistent with or would violate the terms" of the 2015 council resolution authorizing the arms embargo.
The western powers made no mention of the Russian veto but expressed "grave concerns" about the panel's findings on Iran, and noted its warning that the Houthis' firing of missiles into Saudi Arabia "has the potential to turn a local conflict into a broader regional one."
***Humanitarian Crisis
The Saudi-led, US-backed coalition has turned into a devastating war that has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced two million, and created the world's greatest humanitarian crisis in the Arab state, which has a population of 26 million.
The four countries also called on all parties to the Yemen conflict to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law, to continue allowing humanitarian and commercial cargo into all of the country's ports and airports, and to return to peace talks.
The four western powers signed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran along with Russia and China.
