U.S. Navy seizes thousands of assault rifles being smuggled from Iran to Yemen

The U.S. Navy seized over 2,100 assault rifles that were being smuggled on a fishing vessel from Iran to Yemen, the maritime service branch announced on Tuesday. 

Last Friday, a team from the USS Chinook, with the support of USS Monsoon and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans, discovered and seized weapons from the vessel in the Gulf of Oman that was using a route that the Navy said is "historically used to traffic illicit cargo to the Houthis in Yemen."

In total, the U.S. discovered 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles being smuggled on the vessel, which was crewed by six Yemeni nationals, officials said.