The U.S. Navy has released photos of the Iranian weapons it recently seized from a ship in the Arabian Sea.
The coastal patrol ship USS Sirocco (PC 6) on March 28 intercepted a stateless dhow that was found to be carrying an illicit weapons cache, including 1,500 AK-47 rifles, 200 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 21 .50-caliber machine guns, according to a press release from he service.
Operating as part of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) also supported the operation.
It was the third time in recent weeks that international naval forces operating in the area discovered a shipment of illicit arms that the U.S. "assessed originated in Iran and was likely bound for Houthi insurgents in Yemen," the release states.
The weapons are now in U.S. custody awaiting final disposition; the dhow and its crew were allowed to depart once the illicit weapons were sized, according to the statement.
Here are more photos released by the Navy:
Rows of rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG, launchers are assembled on the deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107). The weapons were seized from a stateless dhow which was intercepted by the Coastal Patrol ship USS Sirocco (PC 6) on March 28, 2016. (U.S. Navy photo)
A cache of .50-caliber machine guns is assembled on the deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107). The weapons were seized from a stateless dhow which was intercepted by the Coastal Patrol ship USS Sirocco (PC 6) on March 28, 2016. (U.S. Navy photo)
