Iran lauds UN vote for Russia-proposed resolution on Yemen

TEHRAN, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday welcomed the adoption of a Russian-drafted resolution on a technical rollover of the Yemen sanctions regime.

"As expected, an earlier resolution proposed by the UK was blocked because of it being far from reality," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi said.

"With no tangible achievement for its sponsors, the UK-drafted resolution turned into another setback, particularly for the United States, at the United Ntaions and in the international arena," said Qasemi in a statement.

On Monday, a UK-drafted text was blocked by Russia in the UN Security Council. The text contained language of Iranian "non-compliance" with the UN sanctions regime against individuals and entities deemed to be engaging in or providing support for acts that threaten the peace, security or stability of Yemen.

West and its regional allies have accused the Islamic republic of violating the UN arms ban to the militants in Yemen. Tehran has denied the allegations.

Saudi Arabia is leading a mostly Arab military coalition to fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015.

Houthis have been controlling much of Yemen's north by force, including the capital Sanaa since 2014. Enditem