US Navy seizes missile fuel Iran tried smuggling to Yemen

This week, the United States Navy said it found 70 tons of missile fuel on a fishing ship in the Gulf of Oman. The fuel was from Iran and on its way to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The U.S. Coast Guard ship USCGC John Scheuerman and the Navy’s guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans discovered the smuggling operation. The Navy said all 70 tons of explosive material was hidden on a traditional wooden ship known as a dhow. The dhow was carrying fertilizer, which can also be used to make bombs.

The Navy said the amount of missile fuel discovered on the dhow was enough to fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles. Houthis have been using the same types of missiles against the allies of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

The Navy said the ship was so overloaded with explosives, it was a danger and had to be sunk.

With Iranian backing, the Houthis seized Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, in 2014. Armed with U.S. weapons and intelligence, a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the rebels since 2015.

For years, Iran has been arming the Houthis with rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other weapons. The Iranian regime denies they have anything to do with arming the Houthis despite evidence to the contrary.

Iran’s renewed efforts to arm the Houthis coincides with threats from the regime against the Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Iran’s government blames foreign influence for the protests raging in the country. Since mid-September, at least 344 people have been killed and almost 16,000 arrested as the government expands its crackdown on dissenters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.