guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey discovered the weapons after boarding the ship in international waters for a routine flag verification, officials said.
“Monterey provided more than 36 hours of over watch and security for its boarding teams and the interdicted vessel throughout the two-day operation,” the Navy said in a statement Sunday.Navy conducts routine patrols in the region to ensure the free flow of commerce for legitimate traffic, disrupt the transport of illicit cargo that often funds terrorism and unlawful activity, and safeguard the rules-based international order,” the Fifth Fleet said.
The Navy said that the original source and destination of the weapons are still under review, and the material is still being inspected by U.Sdefense official told The Associated Press on Sunday that initial signs suggest the unmarked vessel set sail from Iran and was headed to Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels are battling government forces backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition
The U.S., which maintains a major naval presence in the North Arabian Sea, has previously seized caches of weapons and other military equipment aboard stateless vessels headed for Yemen