Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/DUBAI: The British navy claimed to have seized anti-tank missiles and fins for possible ballistic missile assemblies during a raid on a small boat heading from Iran to Yemen.
Authorities said the British Royal Navy’s seizure comes after similar seizures by French and US forces in the Gulf of Oman as Western powers increased their pressure on Iran, which said it enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.
The seizure also comes as regional and international powers attempt to find an end to the years-long war gripping Yemen. The raid took place on February 23 after an American plane detected a small boat heading from Iran, with a helicopter from the British Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster chasing the vessel, the British Defence Ministry said. The boat tried to re-enter Iranian territorial water before it was stopped.
British navy Russian 9M133 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles
Inside the seized boat, British navy found Russian 9M133 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, known in Iran as “Dehlavieh,” the US Navy’s Mideast-based 5th Fleet and the British navy said. Those weapons had been seen in other seizures suspected to be bound for Yemen from Iran.
Also on board, the seized boat were small fins that the US Navy identified as jet vanes for medium-range ballistic missiles. Iranian components had helped build a missile arsenal for Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who captured Sanna, country’s capital, in 2014.
A United Nations resolution bans arms transfers to Houthi rebels. Despite solid evidence, numerous seizures, and experts tying the weapons back to Iran, Tehran denies arming the rebels.
“This seizure by HMS Lancaster and the permanent presence of the British Royal Navy in the Gulf region supported our commitment to uphold international law and tackle an activity that threatens peace and security worldwide,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of the American 5th Fleet, said that that was the “seventh illegal weapon or drug interdiction in the last at least three months and yet another example of Iran’s increasing malign maritime activity across the Gulf region.”
Iranian state media did not immediately confirm the seizure. Iran’s mission to the United Nations also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
