Iran denies Saudi claims of arming Yemeni opposition groups

Iran on Sunday denied Saudi claims that Tehran was arming Yemeni opposition groups, Press TV reported.

The Saudi allegations about transporting arms into Yemen are "unfounded and undocumented," Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement.

On Sept. 14, a letter by Saudi Arabia to the UN Security Council alleged that Iran was transferring weapons to the Shiite Yemeni Houthi fighters in violation of UN Resolution 2216.

"Unsubstantiated claims can be seen in Saudi Arabia's letter, claims that no impartial body has ever been able to prove," the statement said.

"Saudi Arabia has, for over a year and a half, been involved in a full-scale, unequal war against the people of Yemen, and has perpetrated undeniable crimes against the country's defenseless civilians, children and women," it added.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition started airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, with Riyadh saying the move was aimed at restoring the legitimacy of the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

The UN Resolution 2216 orders Iran-backed Houthi militias to withdraw from capital Sanaa and all other cities, hand over weapons and release political prisoners before forming a new transitional government.

However, the Houthis and their allies, for their part, say that they represent the country's de facto rulers and urged to form a new transitional government before discussing withdrawal from cities and other topics. Endit