Yemeni national resistance forces announced this week the bust of a smuggling of advanced chemicals to the Houthi militias, dealing another blow to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) smuggling networks.
The operation was busted by the resistance forces, navy, general intelligence and coastguard in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most vital waterways.
A statement from the military media, said a joint coastguard and navy patrol in the Red Sea received accurate intelligence information about a wooden vessel suspected of being part of an IRGC smuggling network. The patrol intercepted the vessel after it passed through the Mandeb Strait, towing it to a safe location and uncovering its illicit cargo.
The vessel was smuggling 24 barrels of “phenol + formaldehyde”, an advanced chemical used in manufacturing rockets and drones.
The chemical is also used in reducing the radar footprint of aircraft and warships, indicating the extent of the technical and military support Iran is trying to supply the Houthis with, added the statement.
The busted shipment also included protective gear needed for work in chemical factories, backing suspicions that the Houthis are running factories or military workshops in areas under their control in Yemen.
Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the bust was the latest blow to Iran’s agenda in Yemen and more evidence of the IRGC’s direct involvement in smuggling military material to the Houthis.
In a statement, he stressed that Tehran was “trying to compensate for its losses and waning influence in Syria and Lebanon by trying to transform Yemen into a platform that threatens regional security and international waterways.”
The bust of material used in the manufacturing of rockets and drones reveals Iran’s efforts to “nationalize its military industry in Yemen and transform it into an alternative base for its militias after its smuggling networks were dealt blows in the Arab Mashriq,” he remarked.
He called on the international community to adopt a tougher stance on Iran, stressing the need to bolster the capabilities of the Yemeni government forces and coastguard in protecting the coast and international waterways.
