Publication Type:
- International Enforcement Actions
Mentioned Suspect Entities & Suppliers:
Related Country:
- China
Yemeni authorities seized a 130-foot dhow carrying surface-to-air missiles, explosives, and bomb-making equipment that originated from an Iranian military port and may have been intended for an insurgent group in Yemen. The seized cargo included 10 Chinese man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADs) labeled QW-1M and possibly assembled by the China National Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation, which has been sanctioned by the United States for missile transfers in the past. Also found aboard the ship were rifle and machine gun cartridges, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, C-4 plastic explosives, night vision goggles, and laser range-finders. The laser range-finders were made by Iran Electronics Industries, which has also been sanctioned by the United States. The Panamanian-flagged ship, called the Jeehan 1, was seized in late January by Yemeni security forces, with help from an American destroyer. The Jeehan 1 has been impounded and its crew taken into Yemeni custody.
Footnotes:
[1] Thom Shanker and Robert F. Worth, “Yemen Seizes Sailboat Filled With Weapons, and U.S. Points to Iran,” The New York Times, January 28, 2013.
[2] Robert F. Worth and C.J. Chivers, “Seized Chinese Weapons Raise Concerns on Iran,” The New York Times, March 2, 2013.