SAEDNEWS: Tehran has rebuffed U.S. assertions that it is arming Yemeni factions, insisting that Washington and its Israeli ally are the true engines of regional instability.
According to Saed News, Iran dismissed on July 18 the U.S. claim that Tehran is funneling sophisticated weaponry to Yemen’s Ansarallah movement, branding the allegations as a politically expedient smokescreen. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei characterised the charges as “deceitful” manoeuvres designed to obscure the “fundamental causes” of West Asian volatility—namely, Israel’s sustained military offensives, abetted by American patronage.
Baghaei contended that U.S. military and diplomatic support has emboldened Israel’s campaign in Gaza and the occupied territories, and facilitated cross‑border strikes into Syria, Lebanon and even Yemen itself. He argued that by deflecting criticism onto Iran, Washington seeks to perpetuate its regional basing and operations under the guise of countering Iranian “aggression.”
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has reported seizing some 750 tonnes of purported Iranian arms in the Red Sea, including missile systems, drones and advanced radars, purportedly en route to Ansarallah. Tehran rejects these figures, maintaining that Yemeni fighters rely on domestically produced hardware.
Analysts note that the dispute underscores a broader strategic contest: Washington and Tehran vie for influence over regional actors, while Israel leverages American backing to pursue its security objectives. The Economist’s correspondent in Tehran observes that Iran’s public repudiation is as much about domestic politics—shoring up nationalist sentiment amid economic hardship—as it is about foreign policy.
In this context, Tehran’s reframing of the narrative seeks to shift focus from its own regional reach to what it portrays as an inequitable U.S.-Israeli order, even as tensions continue to simmer across the Arabian Peninsula.
