Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of reports that France seized a shipment of more than 2,000 Iranian assault rifles headed to Houthi groups in Yemen.

Iran continues to breach UNSCR 2216 and undermine UN-led peace efforts by providing material support for the Houthis. There is extensive evidence of this in the UN Yemen Panel of Experts report published 21 February 2022, much of which is provided by maritime interdictions conducted by the UK and its partners. The widely reported seizure of more weapons in January by France and in February by the UK would appear to be further examples of this. We urge Iran to uphold their obligations under international law and cease activity which has escalated the conflict and threatened civilian lives.