On Wednesday, a US Navy warship stopped a boat linked to Iran containing advanced missile parts. The Trump administration has been pressuring Tehran to limit its activities in the Gulf region. The Pentagon confirmed yesterday that on November 25, the US had retrieved the missile components on a stateless vessel, and an investigation determined that they were of Iranian origin. The Pentagon stated that a thorough investigation would follow the initial investigation conducted in the past week.
The US guided-missile destroyer Forrest Sherman stopped a small boat and dispatched US personnel onto the vessel. The vessel’s crew are now with the Yemeni Coast Gaurd and the missile parts were possessed by the US. Analysts claim the missile parts may have been headed for Iran-aligned Houthi fighters in Yemen. A United Nations resolution prohibits Tehran from exporting and selling weapons outside of the country unless specifically approved by the Security Council, while a separate UN resolution directly bans the sale of Yemeni weapons to Houthi forces. Since last May, an additional 14,000 US troops have been sent to the region to deter Iran.
Read More: U.S. warship in Gulf seizes missile parts of suspected Iran origin
