Saudi ambassador to US hails steps to curb Iranian support for Houthis in Yemen

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman, has thanked the United States for taking steps to target Iranian individuals providing ballistic missile support to Houthis in Yemen.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Prince Khaled bin Salman said he is grateful to US for taking this step. “To date, over 140 ballistic missiles were fired at civilian targets in KSA. Iran claims its missile program is defensive. I ask @JZarif how is supplying missiles to a Yemeni militia targeting Riyadh helping defend Iran?,” he said in the tweet.

Prince Khaled also attached a press release by the United States Department of Treasury, which said that five Iranian individuals who have provided ballistic missile-related technical expertise to Yemen’s Houthis.

The sanctions follow the United Nations Panel of Experts’ affirmation in late January that missiles and other military equipment employed by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia were Iranian-origin.

“Treasury is targeting five Iranian officials who are associated with the IRGC-QF and Iran’s ballistic missile programs. Their actions have enabled the Houthis to launch missiles at Saudi cities and oil infrastructure. They have also disrupted humanitarian aid efforts in Yemen, and threatened freedom of navigation in key regional waterways,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin in the press release.

As President Trump made clear in his May 8, 2018 decision to cease the United States’ participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United States in taking action to neutralize Iran’s campaign of regional aggression.