Click to see full-size image. Source: the UK Ministry of Defence.
On February 13, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence said that it had presented the United Nations with evidence linking Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the smuggling of weapons to Yemen.
The evidence consisted of weapons which were seized by HMS Montrose of the Royal Navy from boats operated by smugglers in international waters south of Iran in early 2022. The weapons included Iranian 358 surface-to-air-missiles and engines for Project 351 land attack cruise missiles.
The UK MoD said that the supply of these weapons to Yemen violates UN Security Council Resolutions 2231 and 2140, which were approved in 2015.
According to the ministry’s statement, a key piece of evidence was a commercial quadcopter drone that was designed for reconnaissance activities.
Click to see full-size image. Source: the UK Ministry of Defence.
While decrypting the internal memory of the drone, a DJI Matrice 300 RTK, British specialists found records of 22 test flights conducted at the IRGC Aerospace Force Headquarters and test facility in western Tehran.
“This evidence indicated a direct link between the Iranian state and the smuggling of missile systems being used by the Houthis to attack the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” the statement reads.
Commenting on the evidence, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that the UK is “committed to upholding international law and will continue to counter Iranian activity that contravenes United Nation Security Council Resolutions and threatens peace across the world.”
“That is why we have a permanent Royal Navy deployment in the Gulf region, conducting vital maritime security operations and working in support of an enduring peace in Yemen,”
From his side, Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon accused Iran of arming the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in violation of UN Security Council resolutions on Yemen. Saudi Arabia, a close ally of the UK, has been waging a war against the group for more than seven years.
“Iran’s sustained military support to the Houthis and continued violation of the arms embargo has stoked further conflict and undermined UN-led peace efforts,” Ahmad said. “The UK will continue to act to protect the security of our partners and hold Iran to account.”
The Royal Navy has a permanent deployment of a Type 23 Frigate, equipped with a Royal Marine boarding party and a Wildcat helicopter to support what it calls “maritime security operations” in the Gulf of Oman.
This was not the first time the IRGC was accused of providing military support to the Houthis. Iran is yet to comment on the evidence presented by the UK.
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