--- title: "The Navy just seized a bunch of Iranian missiles from a boat in the Arabian Sea" description: "A Navy guided missile cruiser uncovered a huge stockpile of heavy weaponry on Sunday when it boarded a stateless dhow (a traditional Arab sailing vessel) in the Arabian Sea that was chockfull of surface-to-air-missiles and anti-tank missiles intended for Houthi rebels in Yemen." date: "2020-02-13" modified: "2020-02-13" authors: - name: "David Roza" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-seizes-heavy-weapons-dhow/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Iran" - "Military Branches" - "Missiles" - "Navy" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" - "Weapons" tags: - "central command" --- # The Navy just seized a bunch of Iranian missiles from a boat in the Arabian Sea ![]() A Navy guided missile cruiser uncovered a huge stockpile of heavy weaponry on Sunday when it boarded a stateless dhow (a traditional Arab sailing vessel) in the Arabian Sea that was chock full of surface-to-air-missiles and anti-tank missiles intended for Houthi rebels in Yemen. According to a statement released by U.S. Central Command on Thursday, the weapons discovered by the USS Normandy included 150 'Dehlavieh' anti-tank guided missiles, which are Iranian-manufactured copies of Russian Kornet ATGMs. There were also three Iranian surface-to-air missiles, Iranian thermal imaging weapon scopes, Iranian components for unmanned aerial and surface vessels, and other munitions and advanced weapons parts. CENTCOM said the haul was similar to a seizure of advanced weapons made in November by the guided missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman, which also occurred in the Arabian Sea. Those weapons were also Iranian and bound for the Houthis, a Yemeni Shiite group that is fighting Saudi Arabia in what many see as [a proxy war with Iran](). ![]() An image of the dhow boarded by U.S. sailors on Sunday (Navy photo / Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael H. Lehman) Supplying the Houthis with weapons is illegal according to a United Nations Security Resolution, CENTCOM said. The seized weapons are now in U.S. custody, awaiting final disposition by interagency and international partners, the command said. At the time of the boarding, the Normandy had been conducing routine maritime security patrols in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of operations, CENTCOM said. ## Author David Roza is a senior reporter at Task & Purpose with extensive experience covering aviation, technology, military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and a range of other personnel matters.David previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025 before returning to Task & Purpose as a scriptwriter for the team's YouTube channel. Share tips and story ideas with David at david.roza@recurrent.io. ## More - [The Navy seized a small boat carrying enough weapons to invade a small country]() - [4 charged with weapons smuggling on raid where 2 SEALs died]() - [Coast Guard seizes $20 million in drugs in the Arabian Sea]() - [Captain of ship at center of Navy SEAL drownings sentenced to 40 years]() - [Navy seizes ‘massive amount of explosive material’ from boat en route from Iran to Yemen]() - [US military ends search for 2 missing Navy SEALs, now considered deceased]() - [5,000 Iranian AK-47s seized from smugglers are now going to Ukraine]() - [USS Boxer shoots down Iranian drone as the US and Iran edge closer to conflict]()