US captures Iranian missiles bound for Yemen

Agencies

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The United States has revealed seizing several Iranian missiles bound for Yemen at a time when the regime openly expressed its desire to buy and sell weapons with “many friends”. According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), the missiles were seized in separate interdictions and include surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank guided missiles.

The US  Navy took control of the contraband in the international waters, the DoJ said. “The two forfeiture complaints allege sophisticated schemes by the IRGC (Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) to secretly ship weapons to Yemen and fuel to Venezuela, countries that pose grave threats to the security and stability of their respective regions,” Assistant US Attorney General John Demers said in a statement. “Iran continues to be a leading state sponsor of terrorism and a worldwide destabilising force.” Demers added “with great satisfaction” that the funds taken from the fuel sales would go to benefit the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund.

Authorities also said the Navy had confiscated other weapons components and enough blasting caps to “approximately” supply the US military forces for a year, “leading law enforcement to believe these blasting caps were intended for a large military force.”

Iran oil sold for $40 million

The Justice Department’s forfeiture civil cases also involve alleged schemes by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to secretly ship fuel to Venezuela. According to the complaint, the fuel originated with firms tied to the IRGC, and shippers took steps to mask ownership. The two vessels carrying the fuel, the Liberia-flagged Euroforce and Singapore-flagged Maersk Progress, had struggled to discharge and shifted course multiple times over the past several weeks. The move comes less than a week before the November 3 elections in US.

“We estimate that in excess of $40 million will be recouped by the United States related to the sale of petroleum from those four vessels,” Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters by telephone. He said a “great portion” of it would be contributed to a US fund for victims of “state-sponsored terrorism.” 

US courts have ordered Iran’s clerical regime to pay damages over attacks, most recently in July when a judge told Tehran to pay $879.1 million over a 1996 bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 US airmen. The unsealing of the forfeiture complaints, by the Justice Department, also came at the same time that the Treasury Department and State Department jointly slapped sanctions on a combined 11 different entities and individuals for their involvement in the purchase and sale of Iranian petrochemicals.

The latest actions against Iran come after US intelligence officials earlier this month alleged that Iranian hackers sought to threaten some US voters by sending them spoofed emails that were made to appear as though they were from the pro-Trump Proud Boys group. Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves but its economy and infrastructure have collapsed to the point that it suffers blackouts and needs help from Iran, which it pays in gold. On Thursday, the Treasury Department announced sanctions against eight entities based in Iran, China and Singapore for exporting petrochemical products. Trump in 2018 walked away from a deal brokered by former president Barack Obama under which Iran scaled back its nuclear program drastically in return for sanctions relief.