Hearing Held for Pakistani Captain of Ship Carrying Iranian Missile Equipment for Houthis in Yemen

Mohammad Pehlavan, a Pakistani citizen whom U.S. officials say was the captain of a ship carrying missile parts made in Iran for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, has officially been charged with attempting to smuggle weapons and lying to U.S. authorities, and must remain behind bars until his trial. According to the Associated Press, federal prosecutors say Pehlavan refused to slow down his ship when U.S. Navy soldiers attempted to board it and ordered the crew to set it on fire before the soldiers could enter. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) seized this ship in the Arabian Sea near the coast of Somalia last December, discovering Iranian-made missile warheads and related components; an operation in which two U.S. servicemen lost their lives. The crew of the ship has also been accused of providing false information to U.S. officials. According to the FBI, the arrested individuals, including the crew of the seized ship, had contacted a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps several times via satellite phone. Lauren Lee, an FBI special agent, testified on Tuesday at a court hearing in Richmond, Virginia, for the charges and extension of detention, stating that Pehlavan initially claimed to be the boat's engineer and that the captain had disembarked. Lee also stated that Mohammad Pehlavan claimed to be unaware of the ship's cargo. Earlier, the U.S. Attorney General announced that four nationals from various Middle Eastern countries are set to be tried in the U.S. for attempting to send offensive weapons to the Houthis in Yemen after being arrested by CENTCOM forces on the seized ship in the Arabian Sea. The fourth joint attack by the U.S. and coalition on Houthi positions targeted at least eighteen sites. Four Middle Eastern nationals are being tried in the U.S. for attempting to arm the Houthis. The seizure of a ship carrying Iranian weapons for Houthi militants has led CENTCOM to attack Houthi positions. The Security Council condemned Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and called for their cessation.