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Washington, 27 October (WashingtonTV)—Iran has rejected as “media fabrication” the reports that Yemen had seized a vessel carrying weapons and its Iranian crew, the state-owned Al Alam television channel reported on Tuesday.
A local Yemeni official told Reuters yesterday that the vessel had been seized in Hajjah province, in northwest Yemen, and that the crew members had been taken to the capital, Sana’a, where they are being questioned.
The cargo of mostly anti-tank shells was believed to be destined for Shiite rebels in northern Yemen.
Another local official told AFP that according to the preliminary results of an inquiry, the five Iranians were “instructors” who planned to deliver the weapons to the rebels “and evacuate wounded Iranians.”
Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Fighting between the Shiite rebels and government forces intensified in August 2009, in the mountainous north. The government has vowed to crush the rebellion, which erupted in 2004.
Yemen’s president has said that the rebels have received funds from sources in Iran. Tehran and the rebels both deny the allegations.
Iran has called for a political solution to the fighting, which has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
Sources: Al Alam television network, Reuters, Agence France-Presse