The U.S. Department of Justice announced today (Wednesday) the successful seizure and confiscation of two large stockpiles of Iranian weapons, which included 171 surface-to-air missiles and eight anti-tank missiles, as well as some 1.1 million barrels of Iranian petroleum products.
Responsible for the successful operation is the U.S. Navy, which seized weapons from two vessels during routine naval security operations in the Arabian Sea. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards were the ones behind the arms shipments, which were intended for the Houthi militants in Yemen.
The U.S. also similarly seized Iranian oil products from four tankers that sailed with a foreign flag in the Arabian Sea while on their way to Venezuela. These actions represent the largest boycotts of fuel and arms shipments from Iran by the Americans.
The U.S. government sold the seized petroleum products in accordance with a court order. The net proceeds of this sale, $ 26,681,397 before interest, may be directed, in whole or in part, to the U.S.-sponsored terrorist fund now after the case is closed.
“U.S. actions in these two cases are harming the Iranian government and the criminal networks that support Islamic Revolutionary Guards,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew J. Olsen of the Department of Homeland Security’s Department of Justice. Those who seek to harm “the United States and its allies.”
“The combined efforts of the FBI and our partners to capture missiles and over a million barrels of oil demonstrate our commitment to defending ourselves against foreign terrorist organizations and enforcing U.S. sanctions,” said Assistant Director Alan A. Koller Jr. of the FBI’s counterintelligence division. “The Iranian government’s sponsorship of terrorism has left innocent victims behind, and its attempts to support dangerous regimes to the United States and our allies will be answered in full force of law. The FBI has a continuing determination to hold the Iranian government accountable for its illegal actions. Sanctions on Iran to contact the FBI. “
As mentioned, the Central Command of the U.S. Navy (NAVCENT) seized the weapon from two flags without vessels in the Arabian Sea on November 25, 2019 and February 9, 2020, respectively. The weapons included 171 guided anti-tank missiles, eight surface-to-air missiles, land-based cruise missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, thermal weapons optics and other missile and UAV components.
On August 20, 2020, the Department of Justice filed a complaint seeking to seize the weapons seized from the District Court of Columbia District in the U.S.
The court granted the government’s request for a verdict in the absence of a verdict and issued a final forfeiture order on 15 November. In its opinion, the court found that the government had sufficiently argued that the weapons belonged to the Revolutionary Guards and that the Revolutionary Guards constituted an entity engaged in the planning or commission of a federal terrorist crime against the United States.
On July 2, 2020, the United States filed a complaint in the District of Columbia requesting to seize all cargo of petroleum products aboard four oil tankers with a foreign flag. The complaint claimed that the source of oil in Iran, and the sale of oil benefited the Revolutionary Guards, an Iranian entity that had been sanctioned.
On October 1, 2021, the court granted the government’s request and issued a forfeiture order. In its opinion, the court found that the U.S. sufficiently argued that petroleum products provided a source of influence for the Revolutionary Guards because these assets were critical to advancing the affairs of the terrorist group.
These successful forfeiture operations are a product of the coordinated efforts of the U.S. government to enforce U.S. sanctions against the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian regime.
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