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Yemeni Defense Ministry via EPA
Yemeni Interior Minister Abdul-Qater Qahtan (left) and senior security officials inspect seized Iranian-made weapons. Ties between Tehran and Sanaa were already strained over charges that Iran was working with separatists in the south and rebels in the north to further destabilize Yemen.
SANAA -- Yemen's president has asked his Iranian counterpart to stop backing armed groups on its soil after coastguards seized a consignment of missiles and rockets believed sent by the Islamic Republic, a government official said Thursday.
Iran has denied any connection to the weapons, found aboard a vessel off the coast on January 23 in an operation coordinated with the U.S. Navy.
But government official Abdel-Rashid Abdel Hafez said President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had contacted Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to demand Tehran stop smuggling in weapons. Hafez gave no further details of the message.
"This is the most dangerous arms shipment being smuggled to Yemen," Yemeni Deputy Interior Minister Abdel-Rahman Hanash told Reuters. "It contained anti-aircraft missiles, C4 high explosives materials which only a few countries in the Middle East possess."
Yemen, a majority Sunni Muslim country, said last week the vessel had been loaded in Iran.
Yemen has complained to the U.N. Security Council and asked for the weapons shipment to be investigated by the council's group of experts that monitors compliance with the Iran sanctions regime. It includes a ban on arms exports, U.N. special envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, said Thursday.
'Sophisticated weapons'
The council has imposed four rounds of sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt its nuclear enrichment program, which the United States, European Union and their allies suspect is at the heart of a weapons program. Iran rejects the allegation, saying the nuclear materials are wanted for peaceful purposes.
"The shipment contains weapons and some of the weapons are sophisticated weapons, surface-to-air missiles, for example. The government made a request to the sanctions committee for a full investigation," Benomar told reporters.
Yemeni Defense Ministry via EPA
The haul of Iranian-made weapons is thought to have been headed for rebels in Yemen.
"They (the sanctions committee) will establish the facts on what happened, where the shipment came from, who were the recipients, et cetera," he said.
The 15-member council is also discussing whether to issue a U.S.-drafted statement on the weapons shipment.
Officials in Washington have said the shipment was believed to have been from Shiite Muslim Iran and destined for insurgents, likely to be Shiite Houthis mainly based in northern Yemen.
Yemeni state television on Wednesday showed Interior Minister Abdul Qader Qahtan and National Security Board head Ali al-Ahmadi inspecting the weapons including Katyusha rockets, anti-aircraft Strella 1 and 2 missiles, RPG launchers, explosive materials and Iranian-made night-vision goggles.
Hanash said that while the investigation into the shipment was still under way, it was certain that the weapons were destined for an insurgent group. He did not name the group.
A source at Hadi's office said the arms were destined for Houthi rebels.
Rebels who once ruled
The discovery of the shipment will likely further sour ties between Tehran and Sanaa, already strained over charges that Iran was working with separatists in the south and Houthi rebels in the north to further destabilize Yemen as it tries to rebuild after two years of political upheaval.
Yemen said in July it had rounded up a spy ring led by a former commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, according to the state news agency Saba.
Iran has denied interfering in Yemen, a U.S. ally in its fight against al-Qaida militants.
The Houthi movement, named after the tribe of its leader, says it represents the claims of Zaydi Shiite Muslims who ruled Yemen for more than 1,000 years.
Houthis have survived repeated government attempts to crush them. They fought a brief war with Saudi Arabia in 2009 after their conflict with Yemeni forces spilled across the border.
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Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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The Saudi despots want you to believe this propaganda article.
The Saudis invaded Yemen in 2009. They did it before in a much bigger way decades ago. The Saudis won that war and annexed a significant chunk of Yemen, Saudi thirst was never quenched though.
The Strella 1 is a barely man-portable SAM that can be fired from a homemade "box." Its NATO name is the SA-9 Gaskin. The Strella 2 is much improved and man-portable called the SA-7 Grail. Both have a range of 4-5 miles and 11,000 feet. Their limitations are that the SA-9 has a limited range for an "all azimuth" engagement while the SA-7 is pretty much limited to tail-chase engagements. But both are ideal for shooting down slow-moving helicopters, especially troop transports.
More telling are the night vision goggles. The fact that US troops can operate freely in the dark is a huge advantage over terrorists who cannot. But if the bad guys have night vision then that advantage disappears.
It is important to note that Iran is manufacturing these things on their own. And they are manufacturing them in sufficient quantity that they can afford to give away some of them to insurgents in other countries. Too many people see Iran as inept and incompetent and unable to be a modern country in any way. This could not be farther from the truth, especially in science in math were education is much stronger than in the US and there is a long history of inventions and discoveries in math and science.
Too bad the Astroid that is due to pass close by within 17K miles won't land in the region and clean house.
They might be despots but they are smart despots. Sitting as close as they are to the bipolar Persian theocracy gives the Saud family the hebbie geebies! You can bet your bottom Shekle that the Saudis will allow any Israeli incursion into Iran with refueling tankers if need be! The Saudis want Iran to 'disappear' as much as the Iranians want Israel to disappear. Iran is that little smart mouth kid on the block who really needs his ass handed to him and their 'turn in the barrel' is close at hand!
Religious wars are big business...and as long as the sand thugs believe...people will sell them arms...I wonder what the equivalent of wearing your pants below your ass is to these people?
wilsonarden222, And this has what to do with Iran? Or the subject? Sell your BS somewhere else!
Iran does not have the technical capability to produce a portable SAM. Large SAM and RPG, yes. Russia is the closest Iranian neighbor with the expertise to produce portable SAM. Hence, the arms shipment is most likely a cash-and-carry transaction originating in Russia where the sales of military weapons are not monitored closely.
Remember our own CIA was handing out this same stuff a few months ago in Libya.. Well here is some of it and I bet the rest is slipping across the Mexican border fight now..
Iran is right: talks are pointless.
Iran: "We sent those missiles purely for energy purposes like our, um, nuclear studies.."
I am not sure what all these bull@!$%# is about? But I know all these are just bunch of bull!!!
Not saying that Iran did not send the arms but who gives a crap if they did? The entire middle east is a sorry case. Look closely... We have a 6 million CHOSEN ONES with 150 nuclear warheads living amongst 200 million muslims...yet still very insecure...questioning Iran...then you have bunch of gulf states buying over 70 billion in arms...as if it will protect them....
So, it wouldn't bother you if Middle East became even more insecure, right?
Hummmmmmm ... Interestingly .. the rebels are called "Separatist" in the article not "Terrorist" ... the current "buzz word" to prejudice public opinion against any "political dissident" group that is fighting to change the political regime or dictator that controls their nation. In my day, they were refereed to as Freedom Fighters"
It amazes me how the United States takes offense when any other nation sens arms to dissidents fighting around the world for any reason, but sends arms, works to destabilize governments, assassinates foreign politicians and civilians at will, and is appalled that other nations provide arms to rebels to fight back ..
Iran has it's own interest in the middle east to pursue ... learn to live with it .. or destroy them.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have both been supplying weapons to terrorists all over the world. This is no secret and is certainly not a new development.
What difference does it make? Iran is Just a Tiny Country.
And twice the sand.
Your ignorance is appalling!
To whom are you referring?
I'm not sure who he was referring to either, but will stay blissfully ignorant rather than hear his answer.
Iran is supporting Yemen's right to bear arms. If an American can have any weapon of choice why shouldn't Yeman?
Yea, everybody got the rights to bear arms, but not Missiles tip with Iranian space monkeys!
Waiting for the Iranian fanatic ralph-h to tell us Iran does not inrefere in or destabilize other countries and blame "zioniosts" for this. Research about what Iran is doing in Lebanon, Sudan, Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Venezuela, Pakistan, to name a few. The theocratic dictators of the mullahs are destabilizing every ME, and African government in order to establish another theocratic regime in those countries. They have training bases in Venezuela for smuggling weappons, spies and soon dirty bombs into the US through Mexican tunnels.
The mullahs don't want to negotiate because they know we will not do anything about their global terrorist adventures.
Only the US has the right to destabilize and interfere with other countries. Who do they think they are?
farideh - It appears the Iranians have been caught red handed supplying arms to Yemen, but no where does it say they supplied them to terrorists. Still, while the shipment originated in Iran, it is yet to be determined whether the Iranian government had any role in the transaction. Even if they did, they are only doing what we do here in America. We have supplied arms to the anti Assad factions in Syria.
How does the supply of these puny missiles, used for self defense compare against the F16s America has been providing to the terrorists in Israel?
I applaud Iran for sending weapons, which can used in self defense, such as anti aircraft missiles, to Lebanon. I believe the Lebanese people have a right to defend themselves from air attacks launched by Israel or any other nation.
Israel has absolutely no right to overfly Lebanon at any time, yet they do, as they are a rogue nation, which does not adhere to international laws.
I knew your ayatollah supported behind will show up to defend the terrorists and child mollesters of Iranian theocrats undermining other nations, supplying arms to overthrow their governments - except defending Assad regime in Syria ... what hypocrites.
Talk about "rogue" nation, and Iranian theocratic dictators have that name in their cornered.
Yeah, those were "religious sect molesters" in Israel and elsewhere. If it exists, it exists pretty much everywhere. Fk, your "intellect" doesn't stand a chance next to Ralph's, but your bs does. The government in Yemen evidently has been oppressive and especially towards Shiites. Iran is a sovereign nation and doesn't need harassment from governments who have nuclear weapons of mass destruction themselves, but want to control the rest of the world.
Read the history of interference with Iran starting who knows when, but apparent when their democratically elected government was overthrown by help from agents in the West, and a dictator installed. It is true that the peoples of Iran and the U.S. became in many ways friends, and they need to be again.
Here in this country, we have "government" able to do away with us and other peoples by terrrorist "drones", a stockpile of weapons for whatever reason, to possibly be used against the actual citizens and taxpayer; people wanting to now arm themselves to the teeth, so they are more able to kill others, including the government, cop brutality, and "rogue" cops, 2 innocent people were shot without warning for being in a look alike car like the "rogue" cop.
The taxes are out of sight if you count them all, from alll angles, yet we don't have a real single payer system, even though we pay enough to have it.
We should be working for peace for all countries, not a hypocritical and killing foreign policy based on favoritism due to right-wing fascism for "favored" "religion". All religions and peoples are due equal respect based on the this "God" of "virtue" and "goodwill".
I didn't know we were supplying fighter jets to Hamas. When did that start?
You see, Anilof,
Ralph and stopbs live in a backwards world, they believe that someone who blows himself up in a crowded restaurant is not a terrorist, but the one who shoots him and saves the lives of those in the restaurant is a terrorist.
No Eli -I believe that when an Israeli pilot straps himself into a F16, flies into the skies above Gaza or Lebanon, drops bombs and fires missiles on a mostly civilian population, he is more of a terrorist than some suicide bomber, who gives his life out of dispair.
The Israeli pilot gets to fly back to Israel ands shag his wife. He didn't even risk a thing, since neither the Palestinians, not the Lebanese, have any way to bring down an F16.
Your version of what I believe is as f-d up as the government of Israel.
You just told us that you believe that Israeli pilots are terrorist for bombing the Palestinian and Lebanese rocket-launchers which are aimed solely at civilian population and deliberately set on the roofs of civilian buildings, so civilians could take the return fire with them, and give you material for your posts.
And you say they are less terrorists than the suicidal bombers, who choose to give their lives just because they can not stand sharing air with Jews.
I'd say your beliefs are just as f-d up as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Iranian sanctions are very similar to those useless gun control laws they are trying to pass... "Bad guys" will always do "bad" things. But hey, lets pass some more "feel good legislation"!... Even if it doesn't do any good, I feel better already!
Iran supplied the weapons to AQAP affiliated terrorists. Who else is supplying weapons to the AQAP affiliated terrorists as household or edible goods? Turkey's PM Erdogan and his party. From Gulf News- Jan.26,2013 http://www.gulfnews.com/news/gulf/yemen/arms-from-turkey-found-in-yemen-1.1137736 same can be read in yobserver.com/local Iran, Turkey and Egypt are also holding meetings in regards to Syria. Turkey has upped Iran trade by over 500% since sanctions began.
Bad guys arm other bad guys and good guys arm other good guys. That is how the world works.
If it's not Iran helping to destabilize countries it's the US!
Id'e shootem back over to them! One way of getting rid of them.
Lets see if the Iranian all powerful missile shield defensive system works, you know that car tire hooked up to a pole with a dozen fly swatters around it.
Iran is ruled by religious lunatics, has been since Jimma Carter allowed it to happen in 1979. The leadership does not ever want serious negotiations with any Western power. They use negotiations to stall for more time to continue their nuclear weapons development. They continuously use taquia which is simply lying and deceiving to further their own goals and ambitions. Iran supports major terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas and many smaller ones. They are working ambitiously to develop bases and footholds in South and Central America so they can directly threaten the US population. Iran already has many agents in the US to call upon should the US threaten their interests. This idea of constantly re-opening "negotiations" with them is stupid and naive. The only thing they respect is overwhelming power.
You are one of the very few who understood the Iranian motives, plans and mind-set
Two idiots jerking each other off. Get a room guys.
"somebody who can't spell trying to sound intelligent. Happens alot."
And you sound intelligent here? Your sick remark is inflammatory, useless and plain disgusting. You should not be posting on a public forum.
Fk, you who post "sick" remarks all the time, tellling other people to be nice to you, while slamming them and their ideas, and promoting more killing in the name of whatever.
stopbs,
Do stop bs.
@bow2me,
So Iran is a rouge nation, eh? That must make them pretty red-faced. LOL
rouge rogue - iceberg goldberg what's the difference?
Stop being intelligent and paying attention OCstar.
The religious leaders of Iran want to rule the world - they can only be stopped on this quest by annihiliation. Otherwise, it will never stop. There is no peace, there is no agreement, it can only be stopped through a large amount of violence.
Are you being sarcastic ?
I hope so, if not your post is pure nonsense.
How do you propose it to be stopped?
I didn't say our leadership is not the same, as we're trying to dominate moreso than the next.
I would say your assessment that Iran wants to rule the world lacks any evidence or support.
I have my doubts as to the truth of this article. But even if it were true it's pure and blatant propaganda. Where's the NBC news story about the Bahraini government using weapons our government sold them on pro-democracy protestors in Bahrain ? Our government sells US weapons far more often than any nation that are used in terrible ways.
When radical muslims or the radical left does not like a story that hurt their image of Islam, Iran, terrorists, they express their doubt and label it as propaganda. But if the story is about israel.... well, they will grab to a straw to make it look their way.
farideh, I wasn't defending islam at all, just making an obvious point that not many seem to notice. NBC News is quick to write a story about Iran allegedly selling weapons or being accused of selling weapons, before there's any concrete evidence.
Yet our government sells weapons for terrible purposes all the time and never a story from the major news outlets.
It's similar to the young man that started a Twitter page and iphone app to track American drone strikes. If you Google it, in the first 5 pages there is no stories from a major American news outlet about it. Yet there are numerous other articles from news outlets around the world.
When you only report half the story, and the half you're reporting is based on accusations and allegations, sounds like propaganda to me. Not to mention our governments LONG history of disseminating propaganda.
That was my only point, not the nonsense you attempt to present about me (when you no absolutely nothing about me) due to some agenda you have.
While reading the news that Iranian leaders have either rejected or ruled direct talks with the USA, I find myself reading another book advocating the proposition that the USA, apparently through faulty leaders or leadership, is neglecting the imperative to talk with them. I now reflect back the speach given at the UN by one of those same leaders and, to me, how incomprehensible his thoughts were.
Recently, Ahmadineijad seemed to get little traction with Egypt, a country with which it competes for Pan Arab hegemony in the middle east. Perhaps my reading is faulty since it of necessity must rely upon the internation news media for its support, but Al Jazerraa's report seems to buttress my assesment.
Where does this take me? Iran is not seeking stability in the Middle East. Yeman lies at a critical geographic point which it would do well to control if it wants to gain supremecy there.
Conclusion. Iran, just as with Syria, is going to do everythin within its power to destabilize Yeman.
Of course Iran is sending weapons and will send suitcase nukes once they have the capacity to do so. Is Saudi Arabia the good guys? Hell no they are not the good guys nor are any of the other powerful Muslim dominated countries. They all lust for power over their brothers and many seek to become the next caliph. Their leaders could care less about the suffering their machinations are causing. I might also add that the One World Government/NATO/World Banks are just as guilty of the horrendous suffering throughout the world. The human species capacity for cruelty is unmatched on this planet. The state of affairs in the worlds governmental leaderships reminds me of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. I doubt we would find few world leader who were truly good people.