Arab nations accuse Iran of sponsoring terrorism

A letter circulated among the UN general assembly, which was organised by the UAE, points to Tehran’s support for Houthi rebels in Yemen and Lebanon's Hizbollah, which has sent fighters to back the Syrian government.

Houthi fighters hold up their weapons at a tribal gathering in Sanaa, Yemen, July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi

ABU DHABI // Eleven Arab countries have accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism in the Middle East and interfering in their internal affairs in a letter circulated among the United Nations general assembly.

The letter, which was organised by the UAE, was drafted in response to “a series of unfounded claims” made by an Iranian official at the annual meeting of the general assembly in September, and sent to the assembly’s president in late October.

Its signatories condemned Iran’s “radical approach that undermines security and stability in our region and the Arab world”, although reiterated their support for the nuclear deal with Tehran.

“We stress that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism in our region, from Hizbollah in Lebanon and Syria, to Houthis in Yemen and terrorist groups and cells in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Iraq, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and elsewhere,” said the letter, which was signed by the UN ambassadors of Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Morocco and all six GCC member states.

“We remain firm in our resolve that any interference by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the domestic affairs of Arab states is unacceptable and must be confronted,” added the letter, which was circulated among the general assembly on Friday.

The letter was largely drafted to ensure there was a recorded response to remarks made by Iranian diplomat Abbas Yazdani at the end of the general assembly meeting on September 26. Mr Yazdani had denied that Tehran was supporting Yemen’s Houthi rebels who are fighting the Saudi-led coalition and allied Yemeni forces.

“Iran has supported the Houthis in Yemen financially, strategically and militarily, by training Houthi fighters and sending shipments of weapons and ammunitions into the country illegally and in flagrant violation” of UN security council resolutions, the letter said.

A senior Emirati official said on Sunday that the UAE is seeking a larger role for the UN in addressing regional conflicts.

“Regional problems also requires an active role for the United Nations,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said during a conference in Abu Dhabi. “This means that the international community has to reverse the failures of recent years, by providing a more activist and effective role.”

The US president-elect, Donald Trump, said during his election campaign that his administration would take a harder line on Iran than his predecessor and possibly even seek to scrap the nuclear accord.

Although the letter sent to the general assembly reaffirmed the signatories’ support for the nuclear deal, it decried Iran for aggressive actions, such as ramping up its ballistic missile programme. Most Arab Gulf countries and their regional allies would welcome US support for pushing back against Iran’s regional activities, including passing new sanctions over its ballistic missile programme.

On Tuesday, however, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said that the programme is “non-negotiable”.

“Iran’s defence capabilities cannot be compromised and are under no circumstance negotiable,” Bahram Ghasemi told state media, Agence France-Presse reported. “Missile tests are conducted within the framework of Iran’s defence policies.”

His remarks came after European Union foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday and called on Iran to end its missile testing. Tehran has tested a number of upgraded ballistic missiles over the past year that Washington and some EU governments say violate the nuclear deal because they are capable of carrying nuclear bombs.

Iranian officials say the missiles are not designed solely for nuclear warheads and are therefore not in violation of the security council resolution that brought the nuclear accord into force.