US CENTCOM seizes thousands of rifles shipped from Iran to Yemen

The US has seized thousands of rifles and nearly two dozen anti-tank missiles originating from Iran and transported via shipping routes.

US Central Command reported on January 31 that CENTCOM officials — in cooperation with international naval partners — successfully intercepted the transport of over 3,000 rifles from Iran to Yemen, Fox News informs.

Alongside the rifles, authorities recovered nearly 600,000 rounds of ammunition and 23 anti-tank guided missiles.

The January 15 interdiction took place in the Gulf of Oman, where CENTCOM and its naval partners seized the ship's cargo.

The area in which illegal weapons smuggling was discovered has been a historic route for trafficking.

A French warship halted a suspected smuggling vessel off the Yemeni coast on January 15, sending French special forces operators to board and search the ship.

The soldiers found over 3,000 assault rifles, 500,000 rounds of ammunition and 20 anti-tank guided missiles, according to The Wall Street Journal. The US, French and British navies have coordinated an effort to block Iran's smuggling operations in the region.

Iran has sought to supply Houthi rebels in Yemen with lethal aid for months, even as the Yemeni civil war remains under a ceasefire.