Saudi Arabia says ending British arms exports would help Iran
Iran would be the only beneficiary of any end to arms
exports from Britain to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s minister of state for
foreign affairs said on Thursday, adding that the deployment of weapons in
Yemen was legitimate.
A UK court earlier found that Britain broke the law by
allowing arms sales to Saudi Arabia that might have been used in Yemen’s war.
The ruling does not halt Britain’s arms exports but means the granting of new
licenses will be paused.
“The decision by the court in the UK has to do with
procedures for licensing, not any wrongdoing that took place,” Adel al-Jubeir
told reporters in London.
“The coalition is an ally of the West and the coalition is
fighting a legitimate war at the behest of a legitimate government to stop Iran
and its proxies from taking over a strategically important country – so the
only beneficiary of a cut-off of weapons to the coalition is going to be Iran.”