Navy Intercepts Iranian Vessel Transporting 2,000 AK-47s To Yemen

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command announced on Jan. 10 that it had "intercepted an Iranian fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman carrying 2,000 AK-47 'assault rifles' bound for Yemen" on January 6, 2023.

A patrol ship named the USS Chinook approached the Iranian vessel, at which time an American team boarded the Iranian ship.

"The USS Chinook was supported by the cyclone-class patrol ship USS Monsoon and the guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans," the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command explained.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said that "This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran. These threats have our attention. We remain vigilant in detecting any maritime activity that threatens freedom or compromises regional security."

The pattern that he discusses began on Nov. 8 when the U.S. Navy said that a U.S. Naval Ship and a U.S. Coast Guard ship "intercepted more than 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate, a powerful oxidizer commonly used to make rocket and missile fuel, as well as 100 tons of urea fertilizer."