The U.S. Navy seized over 2,100 assault rifles that have been being smuggled on a fishing vessel from Iran to Yemen, the maritime service department introduced on Tuesday.
Last Friday, a crew from the USS Chinook, with the help of USS Monsoon and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans, found and seized weapons from the vessel within the Gulf of Oman that was utilizing a route that the Navy mentioned is “historically used to traffic illicit cargo to the Houthis in Yemen.”
In whole, the U.S. found 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles being smuggled on the vessel, which was crewed by six Yemeni nationals, officers mentioned.
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According to the Navy, “the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law.”
The U.S. is at present within the means of repatriating the vessel and its crew, officers mentioned.
“This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces mentioned. “These threats have our attention. We remain vigilant in detecting any maritime activity that impedes freedom of navigation or compromises regional security.”
This is the third fishing ship up to now two months that the U.S. fifth Fleet has intercepted within the Gulf of Oman and found was smuggling deadly assist from Iran to Yemen, the Navy mentioned.
On December 1 forces seized greater than 50 tons of ammunition rounds, fuses and propellants for rockets, and previous to that on November 8, forces intercepted greater than 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate, an oxidizer generally used to make rocket and missile gas, in addition to 100 tons of urea fertilizer, officers mentioned.
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