Navy helps UK seize anti-tank missile shipment from Iran: CENTCOM
Misty Severi
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The U.S. Navy aided the British Royal Navy in intercepting and seizing “anti-tank guided missiles” and missile components from an Iranian boat that was bound for Yemen, military officials announced Thursday.
The operation, which occurred on Feb. 23, 2023, took place in the Gulf of Oman, where illegal weapons trafficking has historically taken place between Iran and Yemen, according to U.S. Central Command. The United States provided “airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support” for the operation.
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“Coordinated efforts among U.S. and U.K. maritime forces led to Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster confiscating anti-tank guided missiles and missile components from a small boat that originated from Iran,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “U.K. 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 encounter was the seventh illegal weapons or drug interdiction with Iran in the past three months, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Under a resolution from the U.N. Security Council and international law, it is illegal to supply, sell, or transfer weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
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The encounters have led to the seizure of more than “5,000 weapons, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, 7,000 proximity fuses for rockets, 2,100 kilograms of propellant used to launch rocket propelled grenades, 30 anti-tank guided missiles, and $80 million worth of illegal drugs,” NAVCENT said.
“Iran remains the most destabilizing actor in the region. Security of the seas and limiting the free flow of Iranian munitions is critical to regional security and stability,” Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, the commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement.