The Fifth Fleet of the US Navy reported the detention of a fishing vessel that was sailing from Iran. On board, the military found fertilizer that could be used to make explosives by the Yemeni Houthis.
“As a result of checking the nationality of the vessel, conducting an inspection, US forces found 40 tons of urea, a chemical compound used for agricultural fertilizers, which is also used to manufacture explosives,” the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said on Twitter.
It is noted that the ship in the Gulf of Oman followed the route traditionally used to supply weapons to the Yemeni Houthis. The US military recalled that last year the ship was already detained for smuggling weapons. Then thousands of machine guns and heavy machine guns were found on board.
The Houthis are a movement of Shiite Muslims, whose supporters profess the Zaidi madhhab. The Yemeni government accuses the Houthis of being supported by Iran. On March 22, 2015, the Houthis took control of a number of administrative and infrastructure facilities in the third largest city in Yemen, Taiz.