U.S. Navy is reported to have seized a boat in the Arabian Sea and recovered a shipment with Iranian made anti-tank missiles. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed of the seizure on Feb 13. with it assessment pointing that the weapons were en route to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The recovered weapons included 150 Dehlavieh anti-armor missiles, three made Iranian surface-to-air missiles, Iranian thermal imaging weapon scopes, Iranian components for unmanned aerial and surface vessels and other ammunition and advanced weapons part.
The Iranian Dehlavieh anti-tank missile is almost a replica of the Russian-made laser-guided Kornet system.
CENTCOM in their announcement noted that many of the recovered weaponry were similar to those confiscated by the USS Forrest Sherman in the Arabian Sea in November 2019.
In recent years U.S. has publicized a number of Iran-made components and weapons shipments intercepted in the Arabian. U.S. accuses Iran of exploiting concessions in the agreement, such as the lift on a ban on Iran’s ballistic missile program and shipping weapons to Yemen is a violation of a United Nations arms embargo.
Since the start of the conflict in 2015, the Yemeni Houthis have increased attacks with sophisticated ballistic missiles, targeting in Saudi Arabia and shooting down U.S. drones over Yemen.
The latest seizure comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington when Trump administration ordered the killing of the IRGC’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in January 2020.
