Naval forces intercepted a boat in the Gulf of Oman smuggling thousands of assault rifles last week, according to a release from Naval Forces Central Command.

Sailors with the Cyclone-class patrol ship Chinook stopped a fishing vessel in international waters on Jan. 6 and discovered six Yemeni nationals illegally carrying 2,116 AK-47s from Iran to Yemen, the release said. The patrol ship Monsoon and guided-missile destroyer The Sullivans assisted in the mission, it added.

“This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said in the release. “These threats have our attention. We remain vigilant in detecting any maritime activity that impedes freedom of navigation or compromises regional security.”

Over the past two months, U.S. 5th Fleet sailors have intercepted at least two other fishing vessels in the area. Navy Times documented a December incident in which naval forces seized more than 50 tons of ammo and illegal weapons. In November, Navy and Coast Guard vessels stopped a “massive” Iranian shipment of explosive materials bound for Yemen.

Thousands of AK-47 assault rifles sit on the flight deck of guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans during an inventory process. (NAVCENT Public Affairs)

The repatriation of the vessel and its crew is in progress, the release said.

The Yemeni Embassy in D.C. said on social media that it already thanked U.S. forces for their work and that it condemned Iran’s “flagrant violation to international laws.”

Jonathan is a staff writer and editor of the Early Bird Brief newsletter for Military Times. Follow him on Twitter @lehrfeld_media

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