TEHRAN: The first evidence has emerged that Iran is shipping weapons to its allies in Yemen in the form of a shipment of anti-tank guided missiles seized off Oman.
The seizure was first announced on 29 September; when Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir told the Al-Arabiya news channel that, “Iran is trying to fan flames in Yemen by smuggling weapons to the Houthis in violation of UN Resolution 2216. Their last attempt was on Saturday, when an Iranian ship loaded with weapons was intercepted.”
On the following day, the Saudi Press Agency reported that anti-tank guided missiles had been found aboard a boat that was intercepted 150 miles (240 km) southeast of the Omani city of Salalah on 27 September. It said 54 BGM-71 TOW anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), 18 Konkurs ATGMs, four “direct fire systems”, and three launchers had been found on the vessel.
It said the vessel was registered in the name of an Iranian and had been inspected and granted a fishing license by the ports and customs organisation in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province.
The US Navy subsequently put out a slightly different version of events, telling the AP that the dhow was intercepted on 26 September by a vessel operating as part of the multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
It said the naval vessel was from one of the Gulf countries that are part of the coalition currently fighting to re-install Yemen’s ousted president (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or the United Arab Emirates).
The Saudi navy was apparently not involved. Saudi military spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri subsequently criticised the decision to allow the dhow to proceed after the weapons were confiscated. It is unclear if that decision was made by the US destroyer USS Forrest Sherman , which arrived to assist the Gulf Arab ship.
