Tehran is smuggling sophisticated weapons to Houthi
Day after day, Iran’s plans and its continuous efforts to sabotage and destroy the region are revealed through its support, financing and supply of terrorist groups, especially the Houthi terrorist militia, in order to implement the plans of the mullahs in the region and spread terrorism and extremism to serve their goals.
Iranian missiles
The British government announced that during routine maritime security operations in early 2022, the Royal Navy seized sophisticated weapons and missiles from Iranian speedboats in international waters. The seized weapons included surface-to-air missiles and cruise missile engines. The range was up to 1,000 kilometers in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (2015). This is the first time that a British navy warship carrying such sophisticated weapons was intercepted from Iran. The statement said that a helicopter belonging to the HMS Montrose, which is equipped with the latest radar systems, was searching for ships smuggling illegal goods. The crew of the helicopter spotted small ships moving quickly away from the Iranian coast. A team of Royal Marines approached the ships on two boats and they secured and inspected the boats. Dozens of boxes containing advanced weapons were discovered and confiscated.
Maritime security
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey stressed that the United Kingdom is committed to upholding international law, in the face of aggression against Europe, by interdicting illegal arms shipments that lead to chaos and insecurity in the Middle East. He added that the United Kingdom will continue to work in support of a lasting peace in Yemen and is committed to international maritime security so that commercial ships can safely cross without any threats. The seized shipments were returned to the United Kingdom for technical analysis. The analysis revealed that the shipment contained rocket motors for cruise missiles and a group of 358 “surface-to-air” missiles. The shipment also contained 351 cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 kilometers, which the Houthis regularly use to strike targets in Saudi Arabia.
International action needed
According to Dr. Yahya Al-Abed, a Yemeni political analyst: “The British discovery and seizure of the Iranian ship carrying Houthi weapons is a strong blow to Iran’s terrorist plans in the region, as it seeks to target the security and stability of the entire region, such as the targeting of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other countries in the region through these various arms supplies”.
The Yemeni political analyst added that Tehran has its plans, which it is seeking through the Houthis, and using them to carry out these crimes and terrorism in the region and also targeting Yemen and the region as a whole. He noted that there must be broad international action against Iran and the support it is doing to the Houthi terrorist militia to target the security and stability of the region. In November 2012, an international research organization based in Geneva revealed that many of the weapons Iran had provided to its Houthi allies in Yemen were being smuggled across the Gulf of Aden, and the United States had repeatedly uncovered Iranian cross-sea smuggling either to Houthi militias or other Iranian-funded and -executed groups in the region.
