By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2025-10-31

A recent interception near the Bab al-Mandab Strait exposed yet another sign of Iran’s deep involvement in fueling Yemen’s conflict.

Experts said the seized Iranian ship -- loaded with weapons, military equipment, and cancer medications -- highlights Tehran’s ongoing support for the Houthi militia and the group’s subservience to Iran’s regional agenda.

The vessel, identified as a "Bum" was captured in a joint security operation in Lahj province.

The Southern Giants Brigades, a pro-government military force, said the operation took place on October 22 in the Red Sea and led to the arrest of eight sailors linked to Houthi leaders.

The shipment had departed from Iran’s Bandar Abbas and was bound for Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

Among the seized items were Kornet anti-tank missiles, drone components, military engines, and precision control cables.

The shipment also contained medical and food supplies, including cancer medications -- a discovery that shed light on the disparity between the well-being of Houthi elites and the dire state of healthcare available to ordinary Yemenis.

Specialty medicine for Houthi leadership

The inclusion of cancer medications in the shipment "presents two possibilities, said Abaad Center for Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed.

Either the drugs are counterfeit and are sold on the market to cancer patients for financial gain, he said, or they are genuine medications intended for the treatment of Houthi leaders who are unable to leave the country for treatment.

In either case, Mohammed added, "the incident reveals a critical situation for the militias, both in terms of leadership and finances."

"The cancer medications are likely intended for the treatment of afflicted Houthi leaders, and at the same time, they are used as a means to enrich the militias by selling them on the market at exorbitant prices," said political analyst Waddah al-Jalil.

Al-Jalil said that in recent years the Iranian regime has relied on its regional militias to distribute its medical products through illicit networks.

"The continued flow of smuggled shipments to the Houthis, including weapons, drugs, medications, and other goods, confirms that the Iranian regime is investing in this group to implement its agenda by supporting it with weapons and money," he said.

Fahmi al-Zubairi, Director General of the Human Rights Office in Sanaa, described the Houthis as "merely an Iranian puppet working to serve the interests of the Iranian regime."

Houthis are "receiving medicine and medical supplies at a time when Yemenis are suffering from the collapse of the healthcare system and a severe shortage of medicine and treatment," he said.

Al-Zubairi called on the United Nations and the international community to strengthen monitoring efforts to halt the smuggling of Iranian weapons to Houthis.