Office Address
123/A, Miranda City Likaoli Prikano, Dope
Phone Number
+0989 7876 9865 9
+(090) 8765 86543 85
Email Address
info@example.com
example.mail@hum.com
123/A, Miranda City Likaoli Prikano, Dope
+0989 7876 9865 9
+(090) 8765 86543 85
info@example.com
example.mail@hum.com
The U.S. Justice
Department has returned a superseding indictment charging two Iranian citizens,
along with Pakistani citizen, for conspiring to provide and providing material
support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program. The support allegedly
includes weaponry linked to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, a designated
foreign terrorist organization, resulting in deaths and violence against maritime navigation.
Court documents reveal that the Iranians, brothers
Shahab Mir’kazei and YunusMir’kazei, are affiliated with Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps. Their alleged accomplice, Muhammad Pahlawan, worked
for them as the captain of a smuggling vessel named “Yunus.”
Pahlawan reportedly
collaborated with Shahab to prepare the vessel for multiple smuggling missions,
receiving payments in Iranian Rials.
On January 11, U.S.
Central Command Navy forces, including Navy SEALs and U.S. Coast Guard
members, boarded the vessel off the coast of
Somalia from the USS LEWIS B. PULLER. Tragically, two Navy SEALs lost their lives during the interdiction.
The boarding team encountered 14 mariners, including Pahlawan, and discovered
what is believed to be Iranian-made advanced conventional weaponry.
Preliminary analysis suggested that the seized
weaponry included critical components for medium range ballistic missiles and
anti-ship cruise missiles, similar to those used
by Houthi rebel forces in recent attacks on merchant and U.S. military ships in
the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. This connection underscores the ongoing threat
posed by the Houthis’ access to advanced weaponry.
The seizure marked the
first confiscation of advanced conventional weapons (ACW) since the Houthis
began attacking merchant ships in November 2023. The U.S. Justice Department
previously charged four foreign nationals related to the seizure.Pahlawan faces
additional charges for providing false information to U.S. Coast Guard officers
and witness intimidation. If convicted,
Pahlawan, Shahab, and Yunus could face life imprisonment.
