DOJ Charges 4 Foreign Nationals With Smuggling Iranian Weapons to Yemen’s Houthis

All four defendants face a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted of the false statements charges.

What is described as an Iranian-made warhead bound for Yemen's Houthi, seized off a vessel in the Arabian Sea, is shown in this image released by DOJ in an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court, Alexandria, Va. U.S. Department of Justice via AP

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four foreign nationals with smuggling Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry to the Houthi terrorist group in Yemen last month.

U.S. Navy SEALs operating from USS Lewis B Puller (ESB 3) boarded a small vessel during a nighttime mission in the Arabian Sea on Jan. 11, seizing control of the vessel and suspected Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missile components on board. The elite U.S. special operators also detained 14 individuals on board the dhow, including defendants Muhammad Pahlawan, Mohammad Mazhar, Ghufran Ullah, and Izhar Muhammad.