Pentagon Official: Weapons Found in Arabian Sea Belong to Iran
A U.S. Defense Department official announced that preliminary investigations indicate that a shipment of weapons discovered on a vessel “originated from Iran and was intended to equip Yemen’s Houthis.”
The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet announced on Saturday, May 8 (Ordibehesht 18) in a statement that the destroyer “USS Monterey” successfully seized a large quantity of weapons from a sailboat operating without a flag or registered nationality in the northern areas of the Arabian Sea.
According to the report, the seized weapons included Russian-made guided anti-tank missiles, Chinese-made weapons, sniper rifles, RPG-7s, and heavy machine guns.
A U.S. official stated that the discovered weapons are similar to those previously sent to the Houthis.
This Pentagon official, who requested anonymity, told the Associated Press that “this action violates sanctions imposed by the United Nations.” The Associated Press report continued: “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s representation at the United Nations did not respond to this news agency’s request for clarification.”
Following the seizure of the ship, a U.S. Defense Department official announced on Sunday that based on preliminary investigations, the ship “originated from Iran and was sent with the aim of delivering weapons to Yemen’s Houthis.”
The unnamed Pentagon official added: “Based on interrogations of the crew and findings within the ship, we have concluded that the ship originated from Iran.”
The U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet emphasized that “the ship will remain in the custody of American forces until its identity, origin, and destination are verified.” According to the U.S. Navy statement, the ship’s crew was released after interrogation.
In recent years, numerous reports have been published about the seizure of ships carrying weapons in the Oman Sea and Arabian Sea, and each time the Islamic Republic of Iran has been accused of exporting weapons to Yemen.
In the most recent case, Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Friday, Ordibehesht 3 (April 23), issued a statement denying Rostam Qasemi’s remarks about military aid and the presence of advisers in Yemen, describing them as contrary to facts and the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Source: DW
