Missile event in Gulf of Oman area, Iran, Islamic Republic of on Fri 25th February 2022

Britain and the United States confiscated Iranian weapons bound for Yemen during naval military operations on January 28 and February 25. The equipment included surface-to-air missiles and cruise-missile rocket engines that were on speedboats in the Gulf of Oman. “This is the first time a British Naval warship has interdicted a vessel carrying such sophisticated weapons from Iran,” the Royal Navy said in a statement on July 7.    

A U.S. Navy destroyer supported Royal Navy forces in the second seizure in February. “This action demonstrates that we will not allow irresponsible and aggressive acts by Iran to go unchecked on land, sea, and air,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The ships were interdicted along routes used to smuggle weapons to Yemen, where Iran has reportedly provided the Houthi rebels with arms. The Royal Navy alleged that the arms transfer contravened the U.N. arms embargo on Yemen, which has been embroiled in civil war since 2014. In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened against the Houthis in turn escalating Iran’s support for the group.

“The U.K. is committed to upholding international law, from standing up to aggression in Europe to interdicting illegal shipments of weaponry that perpetuates instability in the Middle East,” said James Heappey, Minister for the Armed Forces. “The U.K. will continue to work in support of an enduring peace in Yemen and is committed to international maritime security so that commercial shipping can transit safely without threat of disruption.”

On July 7, Iran’s U.N. mission dismissed the British allegations as “groundless.” Iran has “never transported weapons or military equipment to Yemen,” it claimed in a statement. Britain, which has sold weapons to Saudi Arabia, has no “moral authority to make a claim” against Iran, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanani said on July 8. By selling advanced weapons to the Saudi-led military coalition, “Britain has been a partner in the war and aggression against Yemen.”