US seizes Iranian weapons cache in Arabian Sea

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. said Thursday it seized a cache of suspected Iranian-origin anti-tank weapons and other munitions in the Arabian Sea.

The USS Normandy intercepted and boarded a dhow, a traditional sail boat used in the region, when it discovered the sizable cache, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

The weapons include 150 'Dehlavieh' anti-tank guided missiles, which are similar to Russia's Kornet anti-tank missiles, as well as three Iranian-designed and manufactured surface-to-air missiles, thermal weapons scopes and drone components. Various weapon parts and munitions were also seized

The command said the weapons are "identical" to a haul seized by the USS Forrest Sherman in November that it later claimed were bound for Yemen's Houthi rebels.

The UN Security Council has banned the sale of weapons to the Houthis, which the U.S. and its regional allies, including Saudi Arabia, say are an Iranian proxy force.