British military announces capture of smuggled Iranian missiles

LONDON — A Royal Navy frigate intercepted speedboats carrying missiles and parts off the coast of Iran on two separate occasions earlier this year, the Ministry of Defence announced July 7.

It’s the first time a British warship has interdicted vessels carrying such sophisticated weapons from Iran, the MoD said in a statement.

Missiles and components being smuggled by the Iranians to equip Houthi rebels fighting Saudi-supported government forces in Yemen have been intercepted by the U.S. Navy on several occasions over the last few years.

The American destroyer Gridley supported the British effort in February, deploying a Sikorsky Seahawk helicopter to provide overwatch during the operation.

The weapons seized on Jan. 28 and Feb. 25 included Iranian surface-to-air missiles and engines for land attack cruise missiles.

The incidents have not been previously reported by the British.

The missiles were being carried on speedboats in international waters south of Iran when a Leonardo Wildcat helicopter from the Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose spotted the vessels departing the Iranian coast.

The warship was conducting routine operations when the weapons were intercepted.

Analysis of the weapons by a team in the U.K. showed the shipment comprised multiple rocket engines for the Iranian-produced 351 land attack cruise missile and a batch of Iranian 358 anti-air missiles.

The engine for the cruise missile is an unlicensed and pirated version of a Czech-designed power unit.

The 351, also known as the Quds, is an Iranian cruise missile said by the British to have a range of up to 1,000 km, or 621 miles.

The weapon type is regularly used by the Houthis to strike oil refineries and other infrastructure targets in Saudi Arabia and was also the type of weapon used to attack Abu Dhabi on Jan. 17.

Andrew Chuter is the United Kingdom correspondent for Defense News.

伦敦——英国国防部于7月7日宣布，今年早些时候，英国皇家海军的一艘护卫舰在伊朗海岸附近两次拦截了载有导弹和零部件的快艇。

英国国防部在一份声明中表示，这是英国军舰首次拦截从伊朗运载如此精密武器的船只。

过去几年里，美国海军多次截获伊朗向也门胡塞武装走私导弹和零部件，这些胡塞武装正在与沙特支持的也门政府军作战。

2 月，美国驱逐舰“格里德利”号支援了英国的行动，部署了一架西科斯基海鹰直升机在行动期间提供空中掩护。

1月28日和2月25日缴获的武器包括伊朗地对空导弹和陆攻巡航导弹发动机。

英国方面此前并未报道过这些事件。

当时导弹正由快艇运载，在伊朗南部国际水域航行。这时，23 型护卫舰“蒙特罗斯”号上的莱昂纳多“野猫”直升机发现这些船只正离开伊朗海岸。

军舰当时正在执行例行任务，武器被截获。

英国一个团队对这些武器进行了分析，结果显示，这批货物包括伊朗生产的 351 型陆攻巡航导弹的多台火箭发动机和一批伊朗 358 型防空导弹。

该巡航导弹的发动机是捷克设计的动力装置的盗版未经授权的仿制品。

351型导弹，又称“圣城导弹”，是伊朗研制的一种巡航导弹，英国方面称其射程可达1000公里，即621英里。

胡塞武装经常使用这种武器袭击沙特阿拉伯的炼油厂和其他基础设施目标，1 月 17 日袭击阿布扎比的也是这种武器。

Andrew Chuter 是《防务新闻》的英国记者。