British Navy Seizes Smuggled Iranian Weapons in the Gulf

The British Royal Navy confirmed today, Thursday, that it seized Iranian weapons from a smuggling vessel in international waters of the Gulf of Oman last month, including guided anti-tank missiles. Britain stated that a surveillance drone belonging to U.S. intelligence spotted the vessel traveling south from Iran at high speed during nighttime and was also tracked by a British helicopter. The British Ministry of Defense mentioned that the boat initially attempted to navigate into Iranian territorial waters upon receiving a call from the Royal Navy, but a team from the Royal Marines stopped and boarded it, confiscating the suspicious packages. British Defense Minister Ben Wallace stated, "The operation carried out by HMS Lancaster to seize weapons confirms our commitment to uphold international law and combat activities that threaten peace and security worldwide." Britain reported that an initial examination of the seized items indicates that the packages include Iranian guided anti-tank missiles and components for medium-range ballistic missiles, adding that it has informed the United Nations of the seizure operation. This operation followed two previous instances in which the British Royal Navy seized Iranian weapons in the region in early last year.