Saudi-led coalition accused Houthis of smuggling arms through Oman

Eslam Mohamed

The Saudi-led coalition has accused Iran of stepping up weapons transfers to Houthi rebels in Yemen via smuggling routes through Oman.

The coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Malki, said during a press conference in Riyadh that the Houthi rebels are smuggling weapons into the country through border crossings with Oman.

During the conference, the spokesman presented a photo of a truck loaded with 50 missiles on its way to Houthi-held areas through the Sarfait border crossing.

A day earlier, the military police in Ma’rib foiled an attempt to smuggle a cargo full of arms through the border crossing between Sanaa and Ma’rib.

For his part, Iran affairs expert Mohamed Aladdin said the Houthi militias are currently suffering a tight siege imposed by the Arab coalition, in collaboration with the national army and resistance, therefore, they are seeking another routes to get arms and supplies to serve Iran’s aspirations in the region.

Aladdin also told The Reference in an interview that Iran has been taking advantage of Oman to interfere in the crisis, pointing out that Tehran managed to approach Oman to serve its aspirations through military cooperation and trade with the Arab country.

“In mid-May 2017, Tehran Iranian Ambassador to Oman Ali Akbar Sibeveih announced that in order to boost ties between the two countries, there is a plan to build an overpass bridge over the Strait of Hormuz,” Aladdin added.

Sibeveih said that the project would be a bridge of “peace and friendship between Iran and Oman.

He also stressed that Muscat played a pivotal role in 2013 and 2014 as it paved the way for negotiations between Iran and six world powers to settle the Iranian nuclear program. Moreover, trade volumes between the two countries refer to a close bond between the two countries as Iranian exports to Oman reached around $556 million of worth, while Iran imports around $320 million worth of products from Oman. Not to mention a deal to export gas from Iran to Oman in 2013.

It is pertinent to mention that pro-Yemeni forces supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition have liberated the Yemeni west coast from the grip of Houthi rebels, which they used to receive smuggled arms from Iran.