British Navy seizes smuggled Iranian weapons in Gulf of Oman
Britain’s Royal Navy said on Thursday it had seized Iranian weapons from a smuggling boat in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, including anti-tank guided missiles.
Britain said that a US intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance plane spotted the boat of Iranian weapons as it sailed south from Iran at high speed during the hours of darkness, and was also tracked by a British helicopter.
The British Ministry of Defense indicated that the boat of Iranian weapons “at first tried to sail into Iranian territorial waters when it received a call from the Royal Navy, but was stopped and boarded by a team of Royal Marines.”
Anti-tank missiles
The US Fifth Fleet said the shipment of Iranian weapons, which was intercepted in cooperation with British forces on February 23, included anti-tank missiles and intermediate-range ballistic missile components.
The US military stated that this shipment was intercepted on a road known to be used to transport Iranian weapons to Yemen, noting that smuggling and transferring weapons to the Houthis violates UN Security Council Resolution No. 2216 and international law.
preventing the flow of illegal arms shipments
The statement referred to the US-British cooperation in joint naval operations aimed at preventing the flow of illegal arms shipments in the waters of the Middle East, such as the seizure of a shipment of surface-to-air missiles and cruise missile engines during a joint operation last year.
During the past three months, the US forces carried out seven interceptions, during which they confiscated 5,000 weapons, 1.6 million pieces of ammunition, 7,000 shells, 2,100 kilograms of fuel used to launch rockets, and 30 anti-tank guns.
Parts used in the manufacture of ballistic missiles, in addition to drugs worth $ 80 million.
Iranian anti-tank guided missiles
Britain said an initial examination of the seizures indicated that the parcels included Iranian anti-tank guided missiles and components for medium-range ballistic missiles, and added that it had informed the United Nations of the seizure.
This operation follows two previous operations in which Britain’s Royal Navy seized Iranian weapons in the region early last year.
Last year, the UN Security Council decided to expand the scope of the arms embargo to Yemen, to include all Houthi rebels, after it was limited to specific individuals and companies.
The US and its allies have accused Iran of supplying missiles, drones, and other weapons to the Houthis that have been used to carry out attacks against Saudi, Emirati, and Yemeni forces trying to root out Iranian-backed elements.
