U.S. Forces Were Prepared To Seize Ship Carrying Iranian Weapons

The ship's route and paperwork were designed to hide its cargo, according to sources (DigitalSeas.com)

U.S. Navy Was Secretly Prepared To Seize Iranian Weapons -- CNN

(CNN) -- The U.S. Navy had secret orders this week to be "prepared to act" to stop a cargo ship carrying Iranian arms destined for Gaza, CNN has learned.

Navy vessels in the Middle East received orders to move "into the proximity of the ship and act if ordered," according to a senior U.S. military official familiar with the operation.

The scenario included the possibility of boarding the ship, which was eventually stopped in the Red Sea by Israeli naval forces, who authorities said seized a cargo of Iranian rockets and missiles.

A second American official confirmed that U.S. intelligence and the Israelis became aware of the effort by Iran to smuggle the weapons several days ago.

Read more ....

Update: Mystery surrounds intercepted Iranian missile shipment -- FOX News

My Comment: I suspect that the truth about this arms shipment will be known one day .... but not today.

North Korean Arms Shipment Headed To Iran: UN Report

Photo: GROUNDED: From left, IIyas Issakov, 56, Alexandr Zrybnev, 53, both from Kazakhstan, Mikhail Petukhou, 54, from Belarus, Viktor Abdukkayev, 58, Vitaliy Shumkov, 54, both also from Kazakhstan. Photo: Sarot Meksophawannakul

Seized North Korea Arms Were Bound For Iran: Thailand -- Reuters

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A shipment of weapons from North Korea seized by Thai authorities last month were headed for Iran, according to a confidential report the Thai government sent to a U.N. Security Council committee.

Thai authorities seized more than 35 tons of arms from a cargo plane they said had come from North Korea, and arrested its five crew members after the aircraft made an emergency landing at a Bangkok airport in December.

The report to the Security Council's North Korea sanctions committee, seen by Reuters on Saturday, said the shipment included rockets, fuses, rocket launchers and rocket-propelled grenades.

Read more ....

More News On This Arms Shipment To Iran

North Korean Arms Were Headed to Iran, Thailand Report Says -- Business Week
Thai prosecutors defer decision on arms cargo plane crew -- RIA Novosti
Decision on arms plane crew deferred -- Bangkok Post
Dogs of war or players in a political game? -- Bangkok Post

UAE Seizes North Korean Weapons. Now What?

From The Christian Science Monitor:

UN ban on North Korean weapons may be working. Should it apply to both nuclear and conventional weapons?

We’ll take those, thank you.

Now what?

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face the delicate question of whether to jeopardize trade with Iran by holding on to a seized shipment of North Korean arms.

But some observers say: At least the UN ban on North Korean weapons is being enforced.

The Emirates has let the Australian-registered, Bahaman-flagged vessel leave port. Now, it’s asking the North Korean sanction committee set up by the United Nations Security Council to deal with the question of what to do with the conventional weapons.

Read more ....

More News On The Interception Of Arms To Iran

Australian shipping firm tight-lipped on NKorea arms probe -- Asia One
Iran Arms Remained Sealed -- Wall Street Journal
Australian arms ship may avoid prosecution -- ABC News (Australia)
Executive expects no charges over North Korea weapons -- Philippine Star
UAE 'seizes N Korea arms shipment' -- Al Jazeera

My Comment: My guess .... no charges against the Australian shipping company, and the arms will be discreetly shipped to Iran.