U.S. Navy intercepts Iranian vessel smuggling over 2,000 assault rifles

The United States Navy intercepted an Iranian vessel on its way to Yemen smuggling more than 2,000 assault rifles, the Navy said in a statement on Tuesday. 

A team from the USS Chinook, with support from the USS Monsoon and USS The Sullivan, boarded the Iranian vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Jan. 6, according to U.S. Central Command.

Onboard the ship, the Navy discovered a crew of Yemeni nationals and 2,116 assault rifles that were being transported to Yemen. The vessel and its crew are in the process of being repatriated, the statement added. 

"This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran," said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet, and 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 encounter on Jan. 6 marks the third time that the Navy intercepts an Iranian vessel smuggling weapons from Iran to the Houthi rebels in Yemen since November. 

On Nov. 8, the USS The Sullivans, USS Hurricane, and USCG John Scheuerman intercepted more than 70 tons of chemicals used to make rocket propellant and explosives. On December 1, the Navy confiscated more than 50 tons of ammunition, fuses, and propellants for rockets. 

The U.S. Navy routinely patrols popular smuggling routes in the Gulf of Oman, where the U.S. has a long history of interactions with Iranian vessels. 

According to International Law and the U.N. Security Council, the supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen is banned. 

“The illegal flow of weapons from Iran through international waterways has a destabilizing effect on the region,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command.