US says Iran violated UN arms embargo

Washington, 11 November (WashingtonTV)—The United States on Tuesday accused Iran of violating a United Nations arms embargo by allegedly sending weapons to the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, in a cargo ship seized by Israel.

Speaking at the UN Security Council, US deputy ambassador, Alejandro Wolff, and British deputy ambassador, Phillip Parham, raised Israel’s seizure of the cargo vessel on 4 November, during a debate on implementation of the 2006 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Wolff told the council that the concealed arms shipment “clearly manifested from Iran to Syria” in violation of resolution 1747 and provides “unambiguous evidence of the destabilizing proliferation of arms in the region”, reports the Associated Press.

Israeli officials said that hundreds of tons of weapons were found on the Antigua-flagged cargo ship, which they say was destined for Hezbollah militants via Syria.

Iran, Syria and Hezbollah have all denied the allegations.

Wolff also called on Iran and Syria to end their “material support” for Hezbollah and other militias in Lebanon.

The British diplomat also raised London’s “very serious concern” about the matter, but was more guarded about Iran’s involvement, saying only there was a “suggestion that Iran has been caught illegally exporting weapons,” reports Reuters.

Syrian Ambassador Bashar al-Ja’afari flatly denied the allegations, describing the Israeli charges as an “outrageous concoction of lies”.

Sources: Reuters, Associated Press

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