Crewmembers transporting Iranian made weapons to appear in US court

Crewmembers from the ship that was stopped, which resulted in the loss and death of two U.S. Navy SEALs, are scheduled to appear in a Federal court in Virginia. The dhow that they operated was found to be carrying Iranian made weapons intended for the Houthi rebels. The FBI reported that the crewmembers were in contact with members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

From the Military Times:

The affidavit quoted U.S. Central Command, which stated that it was the first seizure of “Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons” to the Houthis since their strikes began in November.

“Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners,” the FBI agent wrote, quoting Central Command.

The rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for trade among Asia, the Mideast and Europe.

The four crew members scheduled to appear Tuesday in U.S. District Court were all carrying Pakistani identification cards, according to court documents.

Pahlawan, the alleged captain, is charged with attempting to smuggle advanced missile components, including a warhead he is accused of knowing would be used by the Houthi rebels against commercial and naval vessels. He is also charged with providing false information to U.S. Coast Guard officers during the boarding of the vessel.

Pahlawan’s codefendants — Mohammad Mazhar, Ghufran Ullah and Izhar Muhammad — were also charged with providing false information.

Specifically, the men lied about Pahlawan’s identity as captain, the weapons on board and the ship’s departure from Iran, court documents stated. The men had claimed their voyage’s origin was Pakistan.

The Military Times has additional information here.

Category: GWOT, International Affairs, Iran, Navy