FNA - Washington - during both the Obama and Trump administrations - has been a co-belligerent with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the failed war on Yemen.

Of course, that hasn’t stopped Washington from blaming Iran for the death and destruction there!


Discussing the US-backed Saudi invasion of Yemen, Pompeo has just declared Iran to be to blame for the death and destruction in the country!


Pompeo’s silly narrative blaming Iran is built around Saudi allegations that Iran is secretly in league with the Houthis (Ansarullah popular movement) who are resisting their criminal invasion. In practice, Ansarullah has never had more than nominal ties with Iran, and Iranian statements of public support is mostly built on criticizing the Saudis, and calling on the US to end its complicity in Saudi war crimes which has gotten well out of hand.


One of the most visible aspects of such complicity is midair refueling of Saudi warplanes bombing the country. Washington claims this has come to an end which should be good news. But that’s not enough. The US needs to do the next best thing which is ending its diplomatic and military support, including arms sales.


After all, US officials say this is part of a “limited punishment” that the Trump administration intends to impose over the grisly murder of reporter Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2!


Worse still, Defense Secretary James Mattis says the US will continue to support the Saudi war on Yemen, and “collaborate on building up legitimate Yemeni forces.”


The policy is telling. When we remember that the US has provided the Saudi coalition with arms, refueling, intelligence, and diplomatic cover so that they can wage their war on Yemen for more than three years, it is remarkable that US officials try to keep up the pretense that they are not involved and complicit in the failed invasion.


However, the US is the reason why the Saudis and their partners invaded Yemen in the first place and why the bloodshed and the humanitarian disaster continue. This kind of unconditional support and complicity in crimes is in no way “limited” and “non-combat” in nature. It is direct and in full-scale, as it is getting out of hand.


When they are adamant that their support must never be cut off, they clearly admit that they are directly involved in Saudi atrocities against the civilians of that unfortunate nation and they will stay in the game.


When it comes to answering for Saudi atrocities, the Americans have everything to do with the war and they should be held to account. By falsely blaming Iran for the death and destruction in that country they cannot shrug responsibility. They have been directly involved in killing thousands of civilians in airstrikes and torturing detainees by helping the Saudis in this war, including their military assistance to Saudi warplanes to hit residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, jails, boats and medical facilities.


At a time when the United Nations warns that “there is little evidence to minimize civilian casualties,” it is obvious that the United States is still deeply implicated in war crimes in Yemen and the Trump administration is unwilling to constrain the war.