CENTCOM reports US Coast Guard seizure of Iranian weapons shipment int…

Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr interdicted missile, communications, and other military equipment in the Arabian Sea. (US Navy)

A US Coast Guard (USCG) cutter recently seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound for Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen from a vessel in the Arabian Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on 15 February.

Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr (WPC 1147), assigned to US Naval Forces Central Command and forward-deployed to the CENTCOM area of responsibility (AOR), located the vessel carrying the weapons and boarded it on 28 January in the Arabian Sea, CENTCOM reported.

The boarding team discovered over 200 packages that contained medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components, CENTCOM reported.

The direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of such aid violates UN Security Council Resolution 2216 (as extended and renewed by resolutions 2675 and 2707), CENTCOM said in the release about the seizure.

Noting Iranian activity in the region in a statement, General Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander, said, “Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce.”