Weapons Pipeline: Iran to Somalia to Yemen

The London-based, European Union-funded organization Conflict Armament Research (CAR) has released a report that details the existence of a weapons pipeline that originates in Iran and flows through Somalia and on to Yemen and into the hands of the Houthis, the Shiite fighters the displaced the elected government of President Abdel Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The report supports accusations by the United States and Saudi Arabia that Iran is arming the anti-government forces. Tehran denies the report. Much of the information available to CAR came from a number of incidents in which arms were confiscated from ships sailing in the Arabian Sea. Descriptions and markings on a variety of weapons were seized, including assault rifles, rocket launchers, anti-tank and guided missiles that were manufactured in Iran, Russia and North Korea, provided proof that the shipments originated in Iran.