RIYADH: Iran denies its hostile actions in the region as any criminal in the world would refuse to face up to his crimes, the spokesperson of the Saudi-led Arab coalition, Colonel Turki Al-Maliki, said on Thursday.

“We proved to the world that ballistic missiles launched from Yemeni territory by the Houthis are made in Iran,” he said, explaining that Iran would send parts of the missiles to be reassembled in Yemen before launching them towards Saudi Arabia. 

The colonel’s statements came during an interview broadcast by American channel CNN in which he confirmed evidence had been provided to prove to the world that Iran was involved in supporting the Houthis.

Asked by journalist Becky Anderson how the missiles were smuggled to Yemen, Colonel Al-Maliki explained that the smuggling of rockets did not start from Iran, but from the southern suburb of Beirut, where they were transported via Syria to Iran and then sent by sea to Yemen, explaining that the port of Hodiedah became the main point of smuggling ballistic missiles and other weapons to Yemen.

“If you're talking about Hurdata, it's the main point for smuggling inside Yemen. The American navy and Australian navy and French navy, they have seized some of the ships inside international waters where they are smuggling the weapons to Yemen,” Al-Maliki said.

Al-Maliki added these US, Australian and French seizures proved the Iranian regime was violating UN resolutions 2216 and 2231.

In response to a question on the kingdom’s purchase of US weapons, Al-Maliki said: “We use these weapons to defend our homeland and to confront Houthi terrorism and preserve the security of the region from the ambitions of Iran.”

He stressed that the Kingdom had the right to respond to security threats when rockets were fired by Houthis in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

“This act from the Iranian regime is a hostile act, an act of war, they are supporting the Houthi with missiles that reach Makkah. We have this right according to international law,” Al-Maliki

The spokesman added that the Saudi-led coalition was not looking for a strategy to get out of Yemen and that there was no alternative to entering the war.

The military intervention was at the request of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, stressing that the objective of the military operations is clear.

“Our strategy is to restore the legitimate government of Yemen, which is recognized by the international community. We remain committed to that objective and we will take every action, our strategy is very clear in Yemen. It needs a strategy and we will get the outcome we want.

“It is important to bear in mind that the war in Yemen is not against an official army, but rather a terrorist militia, and that the return of the legitimate government in Yemen is not only the responsibility of the kingdom but the responsibility of the international community,” he said.

The colonel also stressed the possibility of reaching a political solution based on UN resolutions. However he said the Houthis were obstructing a political solution, based on UN Security Council Resolution 2140.

Colonel Al-Maliki, when asked how the coalition will rebuild Yemen, said that the Houthis should give priority to the interests of the Yemeni people rather than their personal interests and the relationship with the Iranian government if they want to stabilize Yemen.

“The Houthi, they need to look to the political solution. They have to stop their cooperation and their relationship with the Iranian government because they have become a tool under their control.”