The U.S. Navy says two of its patrol ships seized a cargo of illicit weapons from a stateless fishing vessel encountered in the North Arabian Sea that the navy said originated in Iran.
The vessel “transited international waters along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Huthis in Yemen," the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said in a statement on December 22.
The shipment consisted of approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition, the fleet said.
The seizure took place on December 20 during “flag verification boarding in accordance with customary international law,” the statement said. U.S. naval forces sank the vessel after removing the crew and illicit cargo.
Direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Huthi movement violates UN Security Council resolutions and U.S. sanctions.
The vessel's five crew members, who identified themselves as Yemeni nationals, will be returned to Yemen, the statement said.
Yemen's internationally recognized government has been fighting the Iran-aligned Huthis in Yemen for some seven years as part of a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia.