The U.S. Navy seized two large caches of Iranian terrorist weaponry that were headed to insurgents in Yemen, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.
This represents the United States’ largest-ever seizure of weapon shipments from Iran.
The seized weapons were removed from two separate vessels in November 2019 and February 2020, respectively, and included 171 surface-to-air missiles, eight anti-tank missiles, as well as “land-attack cruise missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, thermal weapons optics and other components,” according to DOJ documents.
The operation was conducted in the Arabian Sea while the Navy was conducting a routine patrol of the area, the DOJ said. The shipment of arms was set up and funded by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces that the U.S. has designated a terrorist group.
The IRGC is reportedly used as a front for the Iranian government to “provide support to terrorist organizations, provide cover for associated covert operations, and create instability in the region,” according to the U.S. State Department. The United States designated the IRGC a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2019.
Beyond the IRGC, the State Department has said that Iran has supported a number of Iraqi terrorist groups, many of whom provided direct support to Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
Additionally, the nation has provided material support to Yemeni Houthi soldiers, where the seized weapons were headed. “Iran has provided weapons, support, and training to the Houthi militants, who have engaged in terrorist attacks against regional targets,” the State Department said.
However, the seizure of the weapons was not the only victory that the U.S. Navy had, as a similar operation confiscated approximately 1.1 million petroleum barrels from four “foreign-flagged tankers” that were bound for Venezuela.
The oil was sold by the government for over $26 million, and the proceeds of that sale will be put towards a fund for victims of terrorism, the DOJ added.
Source: News Week
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