Iran condemns 'arbitrary' US, UK strikes in Yemen

TEHRAN

Iran on Friday lambasted strikes in Yemen by U.S. and British forces, saying that the attacks against Tehran-backed Huthi rebels were "arbitrary" and a "violation" of international law.

The overnight strikes followed weeks of missile and drone attacks by Huthi forces on vessels in the Red Sea, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement that Tehran "strongly condemned the military attacks of the U.S and the U.K. this morning on several Yemeni cities".

He said the strikes were "an arbitrary action, a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen, and a violation of international laws and regulations."

The U.S. and its allies said in a joint statement following the air strikes on Huthi targets that their goal "remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea".

The attacks by the Huthis have disrupted traffic through the vital maritime route, with some companies suspending passage through the area.

Washington had said Iran was "deeply involved" in the Huthis' maritime attacks, a claim Tehran has denied.

Kanani warned that the attacks "will have no result other than fuelling insecurity and instability in the region" as well as "diverting the world's attention from the crimes" in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting the Palestinian territory's Hamas rulers.

The Iranian spokesman urged the international community to take action "to prevent the spread of war."

The Huthi rebels — part of the regional Tehran-aligned "axis of resistance" against Israel and its allies — seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014 and now control large swathes of the country.