Tehran is believed to be behind shipments of weapons captured by French and Australian navies conducting maritime patrols along the vast East African Indian Ocean coasts.
All shipments were zeroed in near the Somali coast (2 of the boats were flagged down and captured by Australian navy off the coast of Somalia while the French frigate Provence off the Yemeni island of Socotra on 20 March).
The type of arms captured in almost all scenarios are hundreds of AK-47 assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, RPG's and anti-tank rockets.
These types of weapons can be used against convectional militaries (AMISOM in Somalia, or the Arab Coalition in Yemeni).
American intelligence indicates the French captured weapons from Iran destined for the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
East African intelligence services warns the Australian navy captured Iranian weapons destined for Al-Shabaab in Somalia and possibly Yemen with Somalia as a conduit.
