fbpx

Haley: We ‘Need to Take Action on our Own’ on Iran

[additional-authors]
February 27, 2018
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley looks on after arriving to watch a training of the COBRAS, Honduras National Police Special Forces, at their base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras February 27, 2018. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called out Russia for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Iran for arming the Houthi rebels in Yemen and suggested that the U.S. could put matters into its own hands.

“If Russia is going to continue to cover for Iran then the US and our partners need to take action on our own,” Haley said. “If we’re not going to get action on the council then we have to take our own actions.”

According to Reuters and Algemeiner, the drafted resolution first stated that Iran violated an embargo on supplying weapons to the Houthis based on a report from U.N. experts but was later watered down to only express “particular concern” about Iran’s violations to appease Russia. And yet, Russia still vetoed the condemnation, as they were reportedly skeptical of the experts’ conclusions.

Haley’s statement comes as the Trump administration is considering nixing the Iran nuclear deal unless substantial changes are made, and Haley said that the Security Council “doesn’t help” proponents of the deal.

“That just validated a lot of what we already thought, which is Iran gets a pass for its dangerous and illegal behavior,” Haley said.

Iran claimed that the U.S. and Britain were simply scapegoating them for the carnage in Yemen. Tehran has denied accusations that they are arming the Houthis, although their denials are belied by various reports to the contrary. It’s unsurprising that Russia would provide cover to Iran given the two countries have been allies for years due to their shared hatred toward the West.

As the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) points out, Iran and the Houthis share differing beliefs in Shia Islam but they are aligned by geopolitics since “Iran seeks to challenge Saudi and U.S. dominance of the region, and the Houthis are the primary opposition to [interim President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-] Hadi’s Saudi- and U.S.-backed government in Sana’a.”

The Houthis ignited the three-year civil war in Yemen when they wrestled power from Hadi, prompting Saudi Arabia to intervene in the conflict and fight the Houthis in an attempt to curb Iran’s influence in the region and reinstate Hadi’s power. The U.S. is backing the Saudis in the conflict.

The civil war has been devastating on the civilians, as thousands have been killed and millions more are in dire need of aid.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Why Jews Must Start Standing Up for America

If America is “irredeemably racist,” then so are the Jews. If America is in trouble, then so are the Jews. If more and more people are becoming anti-American, you can be sure they’re also becoming anti-Jewish.

The Fourth of July and ‘Four Score’

This July Fourth, members of the Jewish faith can take particular pride in one of their rabbis likely inspiring America’s most beloved president’s famous phrase.

‘As a Jew,’ I Love America

America is our home. Our flawed, beautiful, battered, and still-standing home. We don’t need to agree with everything in it to love it. 

Life Lessons at the DMV

A few weeks ago I traveled to the building made of cement and despair that is called the DMV, to take my Behind-the-Wheel Driving Test.

Tikkun Olam and Iran

Why haven’t Tikkun Olam advocates, particularly, if not exclusively, within the Jewish community, spoken out against the Iranian regime as part of their social action agenda?

Schumer Flips on Antisemitism

To prove his loyalty to his party, and no doubt to fend off challenges from Mamdani supporters (such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez), Sen. Schumer has chosen to join them rather than fight them.

NYC Muslim Mayor Blues

If the Democratic Party retains its time-honored hold on the city electorate, the next Hizzoner will be an avowed Jew-hater.

An Imaginary Journey to the Wedding of the Century

Given my insecurities about the invitation, I decided that instead of my usual schmoozing, I would do lots of observing, like an anthropologist studying a species of human beings I rarely encounter– filthy rich people who are not Jewish.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.