Iran’s UN ambassador says Iran is not involved in or supporting the training of the Yemeni Houthis, responding to a recent report by the UN Panel of Experts on Yemen.

In a letter sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the President of the Security Council on Wednesday, Amir Saeed Iravani criticized the report’s conclusions, describing them as lacking credible evidence and relying on unreliable sources.

A confidential report seen by Reuters in September said that Yemen’s Houthis had grown into a powerful military organization with external support from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah, and Iraqi specialists.

According to the report, Houthi fighters traveled abroad for training and gained access to advanced weapons systems reportedly linked to Iranian and regional sources.

“The multiple testimonies gathered by the panel from military experts, Yemeni officials, and individuals close to the Houthis indicate that they do not have the capacity to develop and produce, without foreign support, complex weapon systems,” the UN experts wrote in the report.

“This transformation has been possible due to the transfer of materiel and the assistance and training provided by IRGC-QF, Hezbollah, and Iraqi specialists and technicians to the Houthis," it added. The findings were presented to the 15-member Security Council Yemen sanctions committee.

Since the Gaza war began, following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have launched around 320 UAVs toward Israel, with over 100 intercepted by the Israeli Air Force.

The group, which controls roughly one-third of Yemen, has aligned itself with Hamas in an effort to pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza, imposing a blockade in the Red Sea region, significantly disrupting global shipping routes.