The weapons, described by British defense officials as sophisticated, were found on small boats intercepted by the British naval ship HMS Montrose patrolling the Persian Gulf, according to the ministry.
The small vessels were stopped in international waters south of Iran after being spotted by a helicopter from a British naval vessel.
The weapons found were sent to the UK for technical analysis. Among other things, there is definitely talk of rocket engines for use in Iranian-made cruise missiles and anti-aircraft missiles, says an announcement from the British Ministry of Defence.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who since 2014 have controlled the capital Sana and much of the country, have used such rockets several times to strike targets in Saudi Arabia. This is in response to the fact that Saudi Arabia, as head of a regional coalition, backed by Britain, among others, fought against them in 2015 and has since destroyed much of Yemen’s infrastructure.
According to British authorities, the stopped arms shipments violated Security Council resolution 2216, which prohibits arms shipments to the Houthis.
Neither Iran nor the Houthis commented on the information.
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