United States presents its evidence of Iran weaponry from Yemen

The US presented for the first time pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen

The United States on Thursday presented for the first time pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen, describing it as conclusive evidence that Tehran was violating UN resolutions.
The United States on Thursday presented for the first time pieces of what it said were Iranian weapons supplied to the Iran-aligned Houthi militia in Yemen, describing it as conclusive evidence that Tehran was violating UN resolutions.
Iran rejected the US accusations as unfounded and Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, on Twitter, drew a parallel to assertions by then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell to the United Nations in 2003 about US intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
No weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq after the US-led invasion.

"The fight against Iranian aggression is the world's fight... This missile was used to attack an international civilian airport in Saudi Arabia. Just imagine if this missile had been launched at Dulles Airport or JFK, or the airports in Paris, London, or Berlin." pic.twitter.com/Vilau7VpHq
- Nikki Haley (@nikkihaley) December 14, 2017

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The Pentagon offered a detailed explanation of all of the reasons why it believed the arms came from Iran, noting what it said were Iranian corporate logos on arms fragments and the unique nature of the designs of Iranian weaponry.
That included the designs of short-range "Qiam" ballistic missiles. The Pentagon said it had obtained fragments of two Qiam missiles, one fired on Nov. 4 against the airport and another fired on July 22.

The Pentagon cited corporate logos it said matched those of Iranian defense firms on jet vanes that help steer the missile's engine and on the circuit board helping drive its guidance system. It also said the missile's unique valve-design was only found in Iran.
Iran, it said, appeared to have tried to cover up the shipment by disassembling the missile for transport, given crude welding used to stitch it back together.
"The point of this entire display is that only Iran makes this missile. They have not given it to anybody else," Pentagon spokeswoman Laura Seal said. "We haven't seen this in the hands of anyone else except Iran and the Houthis."
A Dec. 8 UN report monitoring Iran sanctions found that the July 22 and Nov. 4 missiles fired at Saudi Arabia appeared to have a "common origin," but UN officials were still investigating the claims that Iran supplied them.
Yemen's Houthis say Iranian missile charges a distraction from Jerusalem decision
A separate Nov. 24 UN report monitoring Yemen sanctions said four missiles fired into Saudi Arabia this year appear to have been designed and manufactured by Iran, but as yet there was "no evidence as to the identity of the broker or supplier."
The UN Iran and Yemen sanctions monitors "saw a majority" of the weaponry displayed by Haley, said a spokesman for the US mission to the United Nations.
The Pentagon put on display other weapons with designs it said were unique to Iran's defense industry. It pointed to a key component of a Toophan anti-tank guided missile and a small drone aircraft, both of which it said were recovered in Yemen by the Saudis.
It also showed components of a drone-like navigation system like the one the Pentagon says was used by the Houthis to ram an exploding boat into a Saudi frigate on Jan. 30. The United Arab Emirates seized the system in late 2016 in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said.
The UN Security Council is due to be briefed publicly on the latest UN report monitoring Iran sanctions on Tuesday.