00:00If Iran shoots its ships, we will immediately respond with force.
00:05U.S. military operations are a response to these threats in self-defense and defense of others.
00:13Furthermore, as Secretary Rubio stressed during his trip to the region last month,
00:17the United States will continue to stand with our partners in the region.
00:23Make no mistake, this is not a talking point.
00:27It is a commitment that we will back and are backing with action.
00:33The United States stands with our partners in the Gulf,
00:36and we stand with the Republic of Yemen government against the Iranian-supported Houthi terrorist threat.
00:43We remain committed to working with Council members to use all available tools, including sanctions,
00:50to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Yemen
00:54and to safeguard international peace and security.
00:58And finally, we once again urge the Council to communicate to Iran unequivocally
01:05that these unambiguous actions are contrary to international law and are unacceptable.
01:12On July 3rd, an Iranian flight from Tehran arrived in Sana'a in the Houthi-controlled territory.
01:18The purpose of this flight was to ferry IRGC personnel, including drone and missile experts,
01:26in support of Houthi terrorism, under the guise of transporting Houthi officials to the late Supreme Leader's funeral.
01:34This kind of support enables the Houthis to terrorize the Yemeni people
01:39and threaten freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.
01:44We have not seen Iran attempt such outwardly brazen support for the Houthis
01:49since the 2015 aborted Mahan air flights to Sana'a.
01:56In fact, Houthi leaders publicly celebrated the recent flight
02:01as a successful evasion of international efforts to isolate the terrorist group.
02:07These actions constitute a violation of Security Council Resolution 2216.
02:13Resolution 2216 prohibits the supply, sale, or transfer of arms and related material,
02:21technical assistance, training, or other support to the Houthis
02:25related to military activities or the use of arms and related material, including drones and missiles.
02:33The United States has repeatedly called out this long-running record of violations.
02:40For nearly a decade, and with Iranian assistance,
02:44the Houthis have steadily demonstrated increasing military sophistication,
02:49including through frequent cross-border drone and missile attacks
02:53and reported use of cluster munitions.
02:56That mounting capability is, in itself, evidence that the Houthis have received external support
03:04in violation of the targeted arms embargo.
03:08Moreover, this morning, a second Iranian flight entered Yemen
03:12despite explicit public instructions from the Republic of Yemen government not to do so.
03:20The Islamic Republic of Iran's willful disregard for the sovereignty of Yemen
03:26and the collective decisions of this Council is simply unacceptable.
03:32Similarly, we have seen Iran's blatant disregard of Security Council Resolution 2817.
03:39With 136 co-sponsors, this resolution represents a unified international demand
03:46that Iran ceased its attacks.
03:49The Iranian regime nevertheless chooses to defy Resolution 2817
03:54with continued attacks, both directly and through its proxies
03:59against its neighbors and maritime shipping.
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