Trump's Veto Of Yemen Non-Involvement Resolution Move Against Iranian Influence - NGO

US President Donald Trump's veto of a bill to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in war-torn Yemen was motivated by the desire to bolster Saudi Arabia and curb Iran's regional influence, Dr. Joseph Gerson, vice-president at the International Peace Bureau, told Sputnik on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2019) US President Donald Trump's veto of a bill to end US support for the Saudi-led coalition in war-torn Yemen was motivated by the desire to bolster Saudi Arabia and curb Iran's regional influence, Dr. Joseph Gerson, vice-president at the International Peace Bureau, told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Trump sent a letter to the Senate in which he rejected a measure passed by Congress to end US involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen. The resolution was passed by the US House of Representatives on April 5 by a 247-175 vote, after it was approved by the Senate by a 54-46 vote in March.

"While there may be personal financial factors involved, the Primary factor is the U.S. drive to contain Iran or win regime change there. With the Teheran government challenging U.S. regional hegemony and Saudi influence, the U.S. is working in alliance with Saudi Arabia, Israel and lesser powers to contain Iran while also pursuing regime change ambitions," Gerson said.

Gerson added that with the current ideological differences between US and Iran exacerbated by Trump, Congress may be willing to support any military action in the Strait of Hormuz.

"With Trump stirring up Islamophobia and the repressive nature of the Iranian leadership which alienates many U.S. people, even though repression in Saudi Arabia is worse, an incident in the Strait of Hormuz in which U.S. troops are killed could escalate into a war which many in Congress would support," Gerson said.

Yemen has been engulfed in a violent conflict between the government headed by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi movement. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.

The fighting in Yemen has resulted in one of the world's most acute humanitarian crises, with about 22 million people in need of some form of humanitarian assistance or protection, according to the United Nations.