Arab Coalition Reports Seizure of 'Iranian Cargo Ship Carrying Weapons' Bound for Yemen

On Wednesday, October 8, the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia announced the seizure of an 'Iranian cargo ship carrying weapons' destined for Yemen. According to Reuters, the coalition stated that this ship was seized on Saturday in the Arabian Sea and was carrying various types of ammunition, mortars, and other military equipment for the Iranian-backed Houthi forces. The coalition's statement added that the ship had 14 million Iranian documents indicating that it is owned by a state-owned company in Iran. The statement also mentioned that the ship was registered for fishing purposes. Some of the weapons discovered on this ship included: 54 anti-tank rounds, 18 armor-piercing rounds, 15 boxes of battery supplies, four fire control systems, five special binocular batteries, three launch platforms, and one launcher. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not yet responded to this news. Saudi Arabia and the Arab coalition have repeatedly accused Iran of arming the Houthi rebels. The Houthis, who are Zaydi Shia from Yemen, managed to take control of Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, in September of last year and quickly advanced towards Aden in the south, capturing this strategic city as well. However, Saudi Arabia, which supports President Mansour Hadi Abdrabbuh, has formed a coalition of Arab countries to conduct airstrikes against Houthi positions in various parts of Yemen. Last month, Hadi's forces, with the help of the Saudi Air Force, managed to retake the city of Aden. Relations between Tehran and Riyadh have been highly strained over the past year due to the Houthi advances, and tensions peaked following the Mina incident on October 2 of this year. In this context, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi returned to Yemen after six months, a senior Saudi commander was killed at the Yemen border, and Kerry met with Zarif to discuss finding a solution for Syria and Yemen. Rouhani stated that Iran defends the 'government of the majority' in Syria and Yemen.