Thousands of Iranian Weapons Bound for Houthis in Yemen Seized in Gulf of Oman

France’s Navy seized thousands of Iranian-made weapons bound for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, The Associated Press reported, citing unnamed officials. The more than 3,000 assault rifles, 578,000 rounds of ammunition and 23 advanced anti-tank guided missiles believed to be coming from Iran were seized in the Gulf of Oman on January 15 despite first being announced by the US Central Command late on Wednesday. The boat was traveling “along routes historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully from Iran to Yemen,” according to CENTCOM. Iran has denied involvement in sending the weapons to the Houthis, who have been at war with the internationally recognized government of Yemen backed by a Saudi-led coalition for nearly a decade, a months-long cease-fire expired in October 2022, despite efforts to renew it. The weapons seizure is one of four “significant illicit cargo interdictions” over the past two months that prevented more than 5,000 weapons and 1.6 million rounds of ammunition from reaching Yemen, according to CENTCOM, including a January 6 interception in the Gulf of Oman of a fishing vessel that was smuggling more than 2,100 assault rifles along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen. A United Nations resolution bans arms transfers to the Iranian-backed Houthis rebels.

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