US naval forces in the Arabian
Sea seized a shipment of weapons that the United States believes was sent from
Iran and was bound for Huthi rebels in Yemen, the Navy said. The patrol ship
USS Sirocco intercepted and seized the shipment hidden aboard a small dhow on
March 28.
The illicit cargo included
1,500 AK-47s, 200 RPG launchers and 21 .50 caliber machine guns, the Navy said
in a statement. The dhow and its crew were allowed to sail on after the weapons
were seized. The Navy said it was the latest in a series of illicit weapons
shipments which the United States believes originated in Iran.
Pro-government Yemeni forces,
backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling the Iran-backed Shiite
Huthi rebels for more than a year.