US Navy seizes suspected Iranian missile parts set for Yemen

A Navy warship has seized a “significant cache” of suspected Iranian guided missile parts heed to rebels in Yemen, U.S. officials said Wednesday, marking first time that such sophisticated components have been taken en route to war re. seizure from a small boat by U.S. Navy and a U.S. Coast Guard boarding team happened last Wednesday in rrn Arabian Sea, and weapons have been linked to Iran.

Illegal smuggling of weapons

Officials said incident illustrates continuing illegal smuggling of weapons to Houthi rebels and comes as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were meeting, with Iran as main topic. officials spoke on condition of anymity to provide details about a sensitive military mission. In a statement, Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said a U.S. warship inspection discovered a cache of weapons and vanced missile components. He said, “An initial investigation indicates that se vanced missile components are of Iranian origin.”

U.S. has consistently accused Iran of illegally smuggling arms to Houthi rebels battling Yemeni government and has seized smaller and less sophisticated weapons in transit. missile parts found in this latest incident were described as more vanced than any ors previously seized.

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Since spring, Pentagon has beefed up its military strength in region, ding about 14,000 troops, ships, aircraft and or assets in response to what officials said is a growing threat from Iran. Officials have been considering ar increase of several thousand forces, which could include air, naval and ground troops, and weapons systems, but decisions have been me. According to U.S. officials, USS Forrest Sherman was conducting routine maritime operations when sailors ticed a small wooden boat that was t displaying a country flag. Navy and Coast Guard personnel stopped, boarded boat for inspection and found weapons.

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Officials did t provide exact number of missiles or parts but did describe it as a significant cache and said it was heed to Yemen. y said small boat was towed into port because a leak was discovered during inspection, and people on boat were transferred to Yemeni Coast Guard. officials did t say where crew of small boat was from. weapons are still on board U.S. ship. officials said U.S. is still examining weapons to specifically pinpoint ir origin. But y said missile parts h all hallmarks of previous Iranian weapons that have been found in Yemen or Saudi Arabia. Smuggling weapons into Yemen is a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.

Houthi rebels control much of rrn Yemen, and a Saudi-led coalition, allied with internationally recognized government, has been fighting m since 2015. A localized cease-fire in port of Hodeida was brokered last December by U.N. but was never fully implemented. Saudi Arabia has been holding indirect talks with Houthis in Oman, and officials have said that momentum is building in or efforts to end war. On at least four occasions during 2015 and 2016, U.S. seized suspected Iranian weapons during similar ship inspections. In those cases, however, arms were smaller and less sophisticated.

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Nearly two years ago, U.S. officials laid out a display of truck-sized missile remnants at a military base in Maryland, telling reporters that y h been launched into Saudi Arabia from inside Yemen. At time, n-U.N. Ambassor Nikki Haley said U.S. intelligence experts h concluded “unequivocally” that weapons came from Iran. Haley and Trump ministration used display to substantiate repeated claims that Iran h been funneling weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

While U.S. did t point to a specific delivery of weapons remnants by Iran to Houthis, officials said that markings and or characteristics indicated missiles were manufactured in Iran. One shredded piece of metal displayed to reporters bore logo of Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group, an Iranian defense entity under U.S. sanctions. And ors h specific technical characteristics, such as a certain valve, that only Iranian missiles have. At time, Iranian government insisted that it was t sending missiles to Yemen, where Shiite Houthi rebels aligned with Iran have taken over much of country. Iran’s envoy to U.N., Gholamali Khoshroo, called accusations “fake and fabricated” evidence that illustrates America’s “irresponsible, destructive and provocative role” in region, according to a statement.

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