Arms used against Saudi Arabia were of ‘Iranian origin’, says UN report; Iran calls it flawed

A United Nations report has said that cruise missiles and drones used in attacks last year on Saudi Arabia were “of Iranian origin,” including components that had been made in Iran or exported there.

The report, prepared by U.N. Secretary-General covers the implementation of the 2015 U.N. nuclear accord with Iran and offers a detailed examination of debris from the weapons used in the attacks.

The strikes targeted a Saudi oil facility in Afif in May, the international airport at Abha in June and August and state oil giant Aramco’s processing facilities in Khurais and Abqaiq in September.

“The Secretariat assesses that the cruise missiles and/or parts thereof used in the four attacks are of Iranian origin,” the report by U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said.

The document, submitted Thursday to the Security Council, added that the drones used in the May and September attacks were “entirely or partially from Iran”.

The report draws on weapons seized by the U.S. off the coast of Yemen in November 2019 and February 2020 which were likely destined for the country’s Huthi rebels.

Those weapons, or parts of them, were “of Iranian origin,” such as anti-tank missiles, or had been “delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” such as optical weapons sights, the report said.

The secretary-general said that “items may have been transferred in a manner inconsistent with resolution 2231 of 2015”, noting that some of the seized weapons were identical or similar to parts recovered from the 2019 missile and drone attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran rejected the finding on Friday, saying the U.N. report contained “a number of serious flaws, inaccuracies and discrepancies.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry in a statement carried by the state media said: “Iran denies allegations by the UN Secretariat that appear to have been made under political pressure from the US and Saudi regimes”.

“Interestingly, the … report comes at a time when the United States is working to draft a dangerous resolution to extend an arms embargo against Iran,” the statement said.