UK navy busts Iranian missile smuggling ring

Medium-range ballistic missile components, anti-tank guided missiles, and other war-grade weaponry was found on the boat, Britain said.

By World Israel News Staff

The British Navy said it intercepted Iranian smugglers who were attempting to transport anti-tank missiles, ballistic missile components, and other weapons through the Gulf of Oman last month, Reuters reported.

According to the Reuters report, UK forces – including a helicopter – worked in collaboration with an unmanned U.S. intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance plane to track Iranian smugglers who were speeding through the Gulf under the cover of darkness.

The smugglers’ vessel tried to enter Iranian territorial waters when spotted by British naval forces. Eventually, the boat was boarded by Royal Marines, who discovered the weapons onboard.

“This seizure by HMS Lancaster and the permanent presence of the Royal Navy in the Gulf region supports our commitment to upholding international law and tackle activity that threatens peace and security around the world,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in a statement.

Medium-range ballistic missile components, anti-tank guided missiles, and other war-grade weaponry was found on the boat, Britain said. There was no indication as to which country the vessel had intended to reach.

This latest smuggling bust comes after two similar incidents in 2022, in which the Navy stopped Iranian weapons transports through the Gulf.

In July 2022, a British warship acting under the guidance of U.S. intelligence stopped an Iranian smuggler’s boat which officials said contained “dozens of packages containing advanced weaponry.”

The U.S. Navy noted in a media statement that the “weapons were seized along routes historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to Yemen,” suggesting that they were bound for the Houthi rebel group in the southern Yemeni peninsula.

The Houthi rebels, who are supported by Iran, have long been engaged in an armed conflict with Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

President Joe Biden removed the Houthi rebels from a list of terror groups recognized by the U.S. government, which irked the Gulf kingdoms.