by News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
U.S. envoy: If Russia continues to cover for Iran then the U.S. and our partners need to take action on our own.
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U.S. Ambassador to
the U.N. Nikki Haley
Photo: AP
The
United States threatened unilateral action against Iran on Monday after
Russia vetoed a Western bid for the United Nations Security Council to
call out Tehran for failing to prevent its weapons from falling into the
hands of Yemen's Houthi group.
"If Russia is going to continue to cover
for Iran then the U.S. and our partners need to take action on our own.
If we're not going to get action on the council then we have to take our
own actions," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley told reporters.
Haley did not specify what kind of action could be taken.
The Russian veto
was a defeat for the United States, which has been lobbying for months
for Iran to be held accountable at the United Nations, while at the same
time threatening to quit a 2015 deal among world powers to curb Iran's
nuclear program if "disastrous flaws" are not fixed.
"Obviously this vote isn't going to make
the decision on the nuclear deal. What I can say is it doesn't help,"
Haley said. "That just validated a lot of what we already thought which
is Iran gets a pass for its dangerous and illegal behavior."
U.S. President Donald Trump warned European
allies last month that they had to commit by mid-May to work with
Washington to improve the pact. Britain drafted the failed U.N.
resolution in consultation with the United States and France.
The initial draft text – to renew the
annual mandate of a targeted sanctions regime related to Yemen – wanted
to include a condemnation of Iran for 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 violation, which was reported to the council by U.N.
experts monitoring sanctions. It received 11 votes in favor, two
against – Russia and Bolivia – while China and Kazakhstan abstained.
Russia has questioned the findings of the U.N. experts report, which was submitted to the council in January.
A council resolution needs nine votes in
favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the United States, France or
Britain to pass. Following the failed vote on the British draft, the
council adopted a rival Russian draft that did not mention Iran and
simply renewed the U.N. sanctions regime on Yemen for a year.
A senior Western diplomat acknowledged that
the international community – and in particular, the Europeans – needed
to do more to voice their concerns about Iran's behavior.
"We don't have any illusions with regard to
Iran's policy towards Israel, Iran's role in the region … and also what
they do in terms of constructing ballistic missiles," the diplomat
said. "What we're trying, and have to do … is to actually make these
points even clearer than in the past."
A proxy war is playing out in Yemen between
Iran and U.S. ally Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in
Yemen in 2015, backing government forces fighting Iran-allied Houthi
rebels. Iran has denied supplying the Houthis weapons.
After the Security Council voted on Monday,
Iran's mission to the United Nations accused the United States and
Britain of misusing the council "to advance their political agenda and
put the blame of all that happens in Yemen on Iran."
News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/02/27/us-threatens-action-after-russia-vetoes-un-resolution-on-iran/
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