ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-backed Yemeni government on Saturday urged the United Nations to take firm steps against Iran to stop supplying the Houthi rebels with weapons.
The country's Information Minister Muammar Iryani demanded in a statement "the international community and the UN's security council to protect the Yemeni people from the interference of Iran and stop smuggling weapons to the Houthi rebels."
He considered the smuggling of weapons by Iran to the Houthis as a violation of all the international laws, urging the UN to take firm stances to prevent that illegal act.
"Confiscating the Iranian arms shipment by the U.S. Navy destined for the Houthis in the Arabian Sea confirms continued smuggling of weapons by Iran to kill Yemenis, target neighboring countries, threaten regional and international shipping," he added in his statement.
He concluded by saying that "the international community should recognize that Iran continues to smuggle weapons to Houthis, the militia is developing its military capabilities, which rely on Iranian-made missiles and drones."
The Yemeni minister's statement came just days after the U.S. announced capturing a ship carrying weapons and missile parts heading to the Houthi rebels.
On Thursday, Yemen's pro-government forces confirmed that an Iranian ship carrying missile components was seized in the Arabian Sea near the country's coasts.
An official of Yemen's forces said on condition of anonymity that "the U.S. navy and navy forces of the Saudi-led Arab coalition had seized an Iranian ship in Yemeni territorial waters, carrying weapons to the Houthi group."
According to the Yemeni official, "the ship was seized in Yemen's territorial waters off Kamaran island, and preliminary information indicated that it was going to unload weapons near the island on small fishing boats."
The Iran-allied Houthis control much of Hodeidah while the Saudi-backed government troops have advanced to the southeastern districts.
Yemen has been locked in a civil war since the Houthis seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen's conflict in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.
The prolonged military conflict has aggravated the suffering of Yemenis and deepened the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
