Update: Yemen's Defense Ministry Details Dangerous Cargo Aboard Seized Iranian Ship
A ship seized by Yemeni authorities last month carried a wide range of Iranian-made weapons, according to Yemen’s Defense Ministry.
The cargo reportedly included material for making bombs and suicide belts, explosives, surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and large amounts of ammunition. Also included were night vision binoculars and goggles, remote devices, circuits, wires and rifle silencers.
In a statement, the ministry confirmed the contents of the Iranian ship seized in Yemen’s territorial waters in mid-January.
Interior Minister Abdel-Qader Kahtan and top military officers inspected the ship, Jihan 1, docked at Aden port in southern Yemen, reports the Washington Post.
The U.S. State Department noted that this incident is extremely troubling and commended the Yemenis on their interdiction’s success.
Yemen’s Coast Guard intercepted the ship in an operation coordinated with the U.S. Navy. It was previously reported that the vessel’s eight crew members were Yemenis.
Yemen has recently witnessed several cases of illegal arms shipments through its permeable shores along the Red and Arabian seas.
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