US commends Yemen\'s seizure of large weapons cache from Iran

The United States confirmed late Saturday that Yemen had seized a large cache of Iranian-supplied weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles, mortars, and rocket-propelled grenades, believed to be destined for armed insurgents. State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said a Yemeni government investigation shows the weapons were loaded onto a vessel in Iran and likely destined for rebels in the north. The US Navy and Yemen's coast guard stopped the ship last month in the Arabian Sea and uncovered the large cache. The State Department says these weapons are clearly designed to cause significant damage and the highest possible number of casualties. Nuland praised Yemen's request for a United Nations Security Council investigation into the incident, saying it shows Yemen is vigilant in countering threats to its sovereignty, its political transition, and regional stability. A United Nations investigation would determine where the shipment came from. The State Department said, the origin of the ship and its cargo underscores Iran's ongoing evasion of six UN Security Council resolutions banning Iran from selling weapons. From Gulf News