TEHRAN (FNA)- America’s controversial relationship with Saudi Arabia was thrust into the spotlight once again in the wake of reports that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, “have used the US-manufactured weapons as a form of currency to buy the loyalties of militias or tribes,” in Yemen, many of which are affiliated with Al-Qaeda.
American media found that US-made weapons have become widely available through the growing black-market arms trade and that American arms have even fallen into the hands of terrorists. This means Saudi Arabia and the UAE have violated the terms of their arms agreements with the United States, which prohibits the transfer of US weapons to terrorists within Yemen. This has also violated the fundamental norms of the UN arms treaty.
This plus the ongoing airstrikes and incidents targeting civilians are an example of the "brutality" of the conflict. The Saudis and allies parties to the conflict continue to show a disregard for the protection of civilians and the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants in the conduct of hostilities.
The same brutality is happening in Syria, where the United States and its allies target civilians in their indiscriminate airstrikes. The Syrian government has complained many times to the UN Security Council about the US airstrikes, saying they are excessively targeting civilians and basic infrastructure, but to no avail.
Tragically, the only thing the UN has done thus far is condemning these repeated killings – even though the world body is fully in the know that the unprovoked aggression against Yemen is for all the wrong reasons. The unprovoked conflict is in fact a smokescreen. The alliance among Saudi, American and Israeli interests gives the false story about the alleged Iranian takeover of Yemen additional legs, passed on to “fakestream” media from Tel Aviv. Fanning a bogus Shiite-Sunni conflict seems to be a great idea for Riyadh, enthusiastically seconded by its protector and close ally, Israel.
With these in mind, the blitz boys of so many Arab and Western states have attacked and destroyed Yemen’s lifelines for all the criminal reasons. This unqualified alliance stems from motives for regional domination and more. They want to split Yemen, with no intention to comply with International Humanitarian Law, let alone take feasible measures to minimize harm to civilians.
Little wonder the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross say they condemn these atrocities and they are extremely worried about the severe damage caused by the Saudi-led attacks on civilian infrastructure. The destruction of key logistic infrastructure, including airports, seaports, bridges and roads is having alarming consequences on the civilian population. The humanitarian situation has now become catastrophic because of the siege and famine too.
The current conflict has already caused extreme hardship for the population across the country. The destruction of logistic infrastructure means countless lives are now more at risk, and the UN can no longer afford to stand and watch as people suffer and die of preventable causes. The world body has a duty to demand that robust and unobstructed channels for the provision of humanitarian assistance are opened and respected by the war-mongers in this increasingly desperate situation.
The UN should also realize that condemnation per se is not enough. There is an urgent need to a halt in the war. The UN should call for an end to the criminal Saudi strikes against civilians. It’s the only way to ensure no more lives are lost in the blockaded country.
