Iranian surface-to-air missiles were among a tranche of weapons seized from smugglers in international waters.
The UK Ministry of Defence has revealed Royal Navy Duke Class frigate HMS Montrose seized Iranian surface-to-air missiles and engines for land attack cruise missiles from speedboats deployed by smugglers in international waters south of Iran.
The seizures, disclosed on 7 July, took place on the early hours of 28 January and 25 February 2022, helping to enforce UN Security Council resolution 2216 (2015).
As part of the Royal Navy’s operation, HMS Montrose’s Wildcat helicopter leveraged its radar capability to scan for vessels smuggling illicit goods, with the crew spotting small vessels moving at speed away from the Iranian coast.
The February seizure was supported by United States Navy destroyer USS Gridley, which deployed a Seahawk helicopter to oversee the operation.
After HMS Montrose crew were alerted of suspicious cargo aboard the speedboats, a team of Royal Marines approached the vessels on two rigid-hulled inflatable boats before securing and searching the vessel.
Crew reportedly discovered dozens of packages containing advanced weaponry, which were confiscated and brought back to HMS Montrose.
The packages were returned to the UK for technical analysis, which confirmed the shipment contained multiple rocket engines for the Iranian-produced 351 land attack cruise missile and a batch of 358 surface-to-air missiles.
Read the article in Defence Connect.