gov.uk
The Ministry of Defence has revealed that earlier this year, the Royal Navy seized Iranian weapons, including surface-to-air-missiles and missile parts, from speedboats operated by smugglers in international waters south of Iran.
Royal Navy ship HMS Montrose seized the weapons after its Wildcat helicopter, equipped with state of the art radar systems, spotted the vessels moving away from the Iranian coast at speed. The United States Navy destroyer USS Gridley deployed a Seahawk helicopter to provide “critical overwatch” during the operation.
Dozens of packages containing advanced weaponry were confiscated and returned to the UK for technical analysis, which confirmed that the shipment contained “multiple rocket engines for the Iranian-produced 351 land attack cruise missile and a batch of 358 surface-to-air missiles”. The 351 missile is regularly used by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen to strike targets in Saudi Arabia.
Defence Minister James Heappey said: “The UK is committed to upholding international law, from standing up to aggression in Europe to interdicting illegal shipments of weaponry that perpetuates instability in the Middle East. The UK will continue to work in support of an enduring peace in Yemen and is committed to international maritime security so that commercial shipping can transit safely without threat of disruption”.
