Ankara: Iran's mission to the UN has dismissed US claims that Tehran utilized a recent flight to Yemen for military support to the Houthi group, labeling the accusations as "entirely baseless."

According to Anadolu Agency, the statement came in response to allegations made by the US during a Security Council meeting on Yemen. Iran's UN mission defended its relationship with the Houthi authorities in Yemen, emphasizing that Ansarallah, the political arm of the Houthis, represents a significant portion of the Yemeni population. Iran recognizes the Sana'a authorities as their legitimate representatives.

Iran's engagement with the authorities in Sana'a is aligned with relevant Security Council resolutions. It aims to support a Yemeni-led process towards a unified Yemen while maintaining the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national unity. The UN has reportedly benefitted from this engagement in furthering the Yemeni peace process.

The US accusation, presented at the Security Council meeting by US deputy representative to the UN Tammy Bruce, claimed that an Iranian flight arriving in Houthi-controlled Sana'a on July 3 had transported members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including drone and missile experts. Bruce stated that the flight's purpose was to support Houthi terrorism under the pretense of transporting Houthi officials to Iran for the funeral of the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Bruce further argued that such support enables the Houthis to "terrorize the Yemeni people and threaten freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways." Iran dismissed these claims as a "fabricated accusation" intended to mislead the Security Council.