By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-09-17

The Iranian regime’s continued smuggling of weapons to the Houthis represents a blatant violation of international law and a dangerous escalation of violence in Yemen.

On August 9, Yemen’s National Resistance Forces (NRF) released recorded confessions from seven crew members of the Al-Sharwa, a vessel seized on June 27 while carrying more than 750 tons of weaponry, including ballistic missile components and drones.

The sheer scale of the shipment underscores Tehran’s commitment to fueling the conflict in Yemen and expanding its regional influence.

It threatens not only Yemen’s stability but also the security of neighboring countries and vital international shipping lanes.

Undeniable revelations

The crew’s audio and video confessions shed light on a far-reaching smuggling network orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hizbullah.

Their accounts detailed how Iran arms the Houthis through complex maritime and aerial routes stretching across Asia and Africa.

Four crew members admitted to smuggling hazardous chemicals and weapons from Iran’s Bandar Abbas port to al-Hodeidah’s Salif port, as well as off the Somali coast.

The remaining three confessed to involvement in a separate route via Djibouti in Africa.

Their testimonies also revealed that Houthi fighters are transferred through indirect routes via Oman, Lebanon, and Syria to attend special training camps in Iran overseen by senior IRGC commander Mohammed Jafar al-Talbi.

Senior Houthi leaders named in the smuggling operations include Hussein Hamid Hamza al-Attas, Mohammed Darham al-Muayyad, Yahya Mohammed Hassan Qasim al-Iraqi, and Faisal Ahmed Ghalib al-Hamzi, alongside other aides directly overseeing shipments in al-Hodeidah.

Violating international laws

"What has been revealed confirms the existence of an organized international smuggling network directly supervised by Tehran," Yemen’s Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi told Al-Fassel.

"The involvement of designated terrorists in these networks proves that Iran is using the Houthis as a tool, just as it uses Hizbullah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq," he said.

Al-Majeedi warned that the seized shipment of over 750 tons of advanced weaponry shows Iran is not simply aiding a local group, but rather attempting to transform Yemen into a regional launchpad for threats against Gulf states and global trade routes in the Red Sea.

Economist Abdul Aziz Thabet said the Iranian regime’s arms transfers constitute "a blatant breach of UN Security Council resolutions and reflect its expansionist ambitions through its regional proxies."

"Smuggling such large quantities of weapons prolongs the war in Yemen and poses a serious threat to international navigation," he said.

"Intercepting Iranian arms shipments and arresting smugglers is a crucial step in exposing the organized networks run by the IRGC," said Fahmi al-Zubairi, director general of the Sanaa human rights office.

Al-Zubairi urged the international community to "tighten sanctions on Iran and its proxies, and to cut off the funding sources fueling the conflict in Yemen."