U.S. Navy Halts Iranian Smuggling Vessel, Seizes Over 2,000 Assault Rifles

The U.S. Navy After securing a vessel suspected of being smuggling from Iran to Yemen, more than 2,000 assault rifles were seized by the Navy Tuesday.

The USS Chinook, supported by the USS Monsoon & USS The Sullivans, deployed a boarding crew to the vessel in Gulf of Oman on Jan. 6. The team discovered a crew of Yemeni nationals. According to a Navy statement the U.S. took 2,116 assault rifles, and is now working to repatriate the ship and its crew.

“This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran,” Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, as well as Combined Maritime Forces. “These threats have our attention. We remain vigilant in detecting any maritime activity that impedes freedom of navigation or compromises regional security.”

The Yemeni-crewed fishing ship was the third vessel that was found to be smuggling deadly aid from Iran to Houthi rebels. U.S. forces also took more than 50 tons worth of ammunition rounds, propellants and fuses on December 1. USS The Sullivans and USS Hurricane intercepted more that 70 tons of chemical compounds used in rocket propellants and explosives.

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U.S. Navy forces stop an Iranian smuggler vessel

The U.S. Navy seized 2,000 assault rifles smuggled out from Iran to Yemen.
(NAVCENT Public Relations)

The U.S. Navy regularly patrols the Gulf of Oman’s main smuggling routes. Iranian vessels that are smuggling weapons into Yemen must travel east through this gulf, before they can reach Yemen.

International law and U.N. Security Council prohibit direct or indirect supply of, sale or transfer weapons to Houthi rebels.

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There are many interactions between the U.S. Navy and Iranian vessels in this area. Three Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels (IRGCN), faced a U.S. convoy near the Strait of Hormuz on June 20, 2022. One of them closed within 50 yards of USS Sirocco.

“One of the IRGCN vessels approached Sirocco head-on at a dangerously high speed and only altered course after the U.S. patrol coastal ship issued audible warning signals to avoid collision. The Iranian vessel also came within 50 yards of the U.S. Navy ship during the interaction, and Sirocco responded by deploying a warning flare,” The incident was reported by the U.S. Navy.

U.S. Navy personnel transfer 2000 assault rifles taken from an Iranian smuggling ship.
(NAVCENT Public Relations)

2 000 assault rifles were confiscated from Iranian smugglers by the U.S. Navy
(NAVCENT Public Relations)

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Warships of the United States fired warning shots During a similar encounter in May 2021, at Iranian boats