The United States Navy has intercepted in the Gulf of Oman a fishing boat that was supposedly transporting arms from Iran to Yemen, where they would have ended up in the hands of the Huthis rebels who are fighting against the government of Abdo Rabbu Mansur Hadi.
The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, has explained that on board the fishing boat, which was sailing in international waters, they have located more than 2,000 AK-47 rifles, known as Kalashnikovs. The crew consisted of six Yemeni nationals.
Commander Brad Cooper has warned that shipments of this type are part of “a continuing pattern of destabilization activities from Iran”, which would be intervening in the Yemen war on the side of the rebels.
In this sense, the US authorities have recalled that arms trafficking to Yemen is prohibited. The Fifth Fleet had already intercepted two other vessels sailing to Iran in the last two months, also with theoretically vetoed aid.
“We will remain vigilant to detect any maritime activity that impedes the freedom of navigation or compromises regional security,” Cooper warned.
