By Al-Fassel | 2023-09-20

Evidence of overt Iranian support for the Houthis in Yemen has surfaced time and again since the 2014 coup that unseated the Yemeni government, leading to a devastating war and one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Arms smuggling is prevalent in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, with the Iran-backed Houthis engaging in this illicit activity via several previously documented routes.

One route runs along the coasts of Oman and Yemen, and another passes off the Somali coast, while a third runs through Bab al-Mandeb strait, according to a United Nations Security Council panel of experts on Yemen.

Despite Iran's China-brokered agreement in March to restore diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has continued to support the Houthis with arms and training, US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said May 11 after a visit to the region.

Shipments of arms and narcotics destined for the militia have been seized at regular intervals in regional waters, despite a United Nations (UN) arms embargo in place since 2015.

Although Iran denies arming the Houthis, forensic evidence has linked the Islamic Republic to drone attacks in the region and beyond, including the September 2019 drone attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais oil installations in Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, senior IRGC official Gen. Rustam Qasemi confirmed in an interview with Russia Today in April 2021 that "all of the weapons that the [Houthis] possess is thanks to our aid."

He said Iranian advisors have trained the Houthis to manufacture weapons including missiles and drones. Iran's foreign ministry rejected Qasemi's statement, stating that Tehran provides only political support for Yemen, reports the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Seizures along smuggling route

Interdictions between November and February led to the seizure of 5,000 weapons, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, 7,000 proximity fuses for rockets and 2,100kg of propellant used to launch rocket propelled grenades, the US military said.

Security forces also have seized 30 anti-tank guided missiles, medium-range ballistic missile components and $80 million worth of illegal drugs, it added.

A British warship, supported by US airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, on February 23 intercepted a boat smuggling Iranian weapons off the coast of Oman.

On board, UK forces discovered packages that included Iranian versions of Russian 9M133 Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, known in Iran as Dehlavieh, and medium-range ballistic missile components.

The seizure took place along a route historically used to smuggle weapons to Yemen, according to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain.

On January 15, elite French forces, with support from the US military, seized a massive shipment of Iranian arms destined for Yemen's Houthis.

The maritime interdiction took place in the Gulf of Oman, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

"More than 3,000 assault rifles, 578,000 rounds of ammunition and 23 advanced anti-tank guided missiles were recovered," it said.

On January 6, the US Navy intercepted a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman as it attempted to smuggle more than 2,100 assault rifles along a smuggling maritime route from Iran to Yemen.

In December, US naval forces seized explosive precursor materials, rocket fuses and propellant being smuggled on a fishing trawler from Iran to Yemen.

The cargo included 140 tonnes of urea fertiliser, 70 tonnes of ammonium perchlorate and 50 tonnes of ammunition rounds.

And in November, the US Navy said it had scuttled a boat transporting 70 tons of a missile fuel component hidden among bags of fertilizer aboard a ship bound to Yemen from Iran.

The explosive materials had enough power to fuel a dozen ballistic missiles, the US Navy said.

In a report submitted to the UN Security Council February 21, the panel of experts on Yemen raised the possibility that drones are now being used to smuggle Iranian weapons to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

It said smuggling may be taking place via a new air route -- from Oman to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Promoting regional stability

On July 6, the US Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint "against over 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, approximately 194 rocket launchers, over 70 anti-tank guided missiles and over 700,000 rounds of ammunition that the US Navy seized in transit from Iran's IRGC to militant groups in Yemen," according to a press release by the department's Office of Public Affairs.

The weapons came from four interdictions of stateless dhow vessels: two from 2021 and two from 2023, it said.

Iran, through its IRGC, "remains bent on smuggling weapons of war to militant groups in violation of US sanctions and international law," said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen.

This action follows the government's March 2023 forfeiture action against more than one million rounds of ammunition en route from Iran to Yemen, the statement said.

On August 6, US Navy sailors and Marines arrived in the Middle East as part of a pre-announced deployment to support deterrence efforts in the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere, according to the US Department of Defense.

They arrived in the region aboard the USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship, and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall.

Their deployment comes in the wake of increased aggressive behavior and smuggling attempts by Iran.

In July, the Iranian navy attempted to illegally seize two merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Iran has attacked or seized about 20 merchant vessels since 2021.

The increased US presence in the Middle East is meant to help partners keep open important shipping lanes such as at the Strait of Hormuz, said Pentagon spokesman Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

It also contributes further to a long-standing goal of preserving security and stability in the region, he said.

"That's why we've deployed these additional assets, to give us additional options, to speed up timelines and, again, broadly, to ensure stability," Ryder said.