WASHINGTON—The Trump administration tried to mount a case Thursday that Iran violated an international agreement to limit its arms dealing, but U.S. officials failed to show how an array of weaponry presented as evidence proved the charges.

Nikki R. Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, accused Iran of providing weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen who toppled the government in Sanaa, throwing the country into chaos and setting off a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

At a military base in Washington, Haley stood in front of pieces of what defence officials said were Iranian-made Qiam missiles, including one fired by Houthi militants at an airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials have called that attack an “act of war” by Iran.

“When you look at this missile, this is terrifying, this is absolutely terrifying. Just imagine if this missile had been launched at Dulles Airport or JFK,” Haley said, naming Washington-area and New York airports, “or the airports in Paris, London or Berlin.”

Haley said the weapons on display were declassified by the Pentagon so the Trump administration could rally other countries to crack down on Iran. Without saying exactly what the administration is seeking, she vowed that “you will see us build a coalition to really push back against Iran and what they’re doing.”

Her accusations were the latest step by the Trump administration’s effort to punish Iran for its ballistic missile program and destabilizing actions throughout the Middle East.

Asked what international agreements Iran was violating, Haley cited UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Passed in 2015, it bars Iran from supplying, selling or transferring certain weapons outside the country unless approved by the Security Council. It also prohibits Iran from transferring weapons capable of delivering nuclear warheads.

But the evidence she showcased — four weapons provided to the U.S. government by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — fell short of proving her claims.

Iran dismissed Haley’s assertions. Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesperson at Iran’s mission to the United Nations, called them fabricated and part of a pattern of false accusations by Washington, according to Agence France-Presse, the French news agency.

Read more about: