US Navy Claims Yemen-Bound Shipment from Iran Seized
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US Navy claimed Monday that it has seized what it called an Iranian arms shipment in the Arabian Sea likely heading to Yemen.
The Navy released a statement, asserting that the USS Sirocco intercepted and seized the “shipment of weapons” on March 28, AP reported.
According to the report, the consignment included 1,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 200 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 21 .50-caliber machine guns.
The Navy further claimed that all people aboard were freed after the arms were confiscated.
The announcement came as Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, has repeatedly blocked Iranian aid deliveries to Yemen since the start of its aggression against Yemen. Last year in April, it prevented two Iranian civilian planes from delivering medical aid and foodstuff to the impoverished people.
The Saudi military has been engaged in military aggression against Yemen since late March. The strikes are allegedly aimed at undermining the Houthi movement and restoring power to fugitive former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
About 7,500 people have lost their lives in the Saudi airstrikes, and a total of nearly 14,000 people have been injured since March 26.
