Report: Iran flew commanders from the Revolutionary Guards and missile components to Yemen

This month, Iran transferred senior commanders from the Revolutionary Guards, military advisers and advanced equipment intended for missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (such as UAVs) to Yemen – so reported the Reuters news agency, relying on four different sources, including two Iranian officials.

According to the Reuters report, the move indicates an attempt by Tehran to strengthen the military capabilities of its Houthi allies, with the aim of increasing the threat they pose to international shipping and trade routes in the Red Sea and the Strait of Bab al-Mandab.

The sources told Reuters that the transfer of the people and equipment took place on July 13, using a Mahan Air flight that took off from Tehran. According to two Iranian officials who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, there were between 10 and 21 members of the Revolutionary Guards, including senior commanders, on the plane.

The original destination of the flight was the airport in the capital Sana’a, which is under the control of the Houthis. However, the plane was forced to divert its route and land in the port city of Hodeidah, after the airport in Sana’a was attacked by the forces of the Yemeni government supported by Saudi Arabia.

One of the Iranian sources said that the purpose of the Revolutionary Guard commanders’ arrival is to support the activities of the Houthis and provide them with training on new missile systems. It is further claimed that along with the military equipment, Iran also transferred gold on the plane intended to finance the activities of the rebels.

According to an intelligence analyst quoted in the article, the cargo includes components of short- and medium-range missiles and parts of UAVs – weapon systems similar to those previously used for attacks in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Muammar al-Iryani, the minister of information in the government of Yemen supported by the Saudis, also confirmed the details in a conversation with Reuters based on intelligence data, and noted that the mission of the Revolutionary Guards is to prepare the militias to threaten international maritime security.

According to the Reuters report, the arrival of the troops is taking place against the background of a sharp escalation in the region. A few days after the flight, Reuters reported that Tehran asked the Houthis to prepare to block the oil route in the Red Sea in the event of an American attack on Iranian energy infrastructure. Later, the Houthis announced a naval blockade that they are imposing on Saudi Arabia – a step that marks the end of a four-year ceasefire between the parties – and on Thursday they even claimed to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers.

On the other hand, the Iranian side and the Houthis reject the reports. Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters, but Tehran has in the past repeatedly denied supplying missiles to the Houthis. At a press conference held by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Bakai, he claimed that the flight from Tehran on July 13 was intended to return a Houthi delegation that arrived in Iran to attend the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside Yemeni citizens who received medical treatment in Iran.

Abdel-Rahman Al-Ahnoumi, a Houthi media person who claimed to have been on the plane, defined in a conversation with Reuters the claims about the transfer of military experts as “lies and fabrications”. According to him, all the passengers on the plane were civilians only, and emphasized that the Houthis do not act as an Iranian arm and develop their own weapons.