In early 2022, whilst on routine maritime security operations,
Royal Navy ship HMS
Montrose seized Iranian weapons from speedboats being
operated by smugglers in international waters south of Iran. The
weapons seized included surface-to-air-missiles and engines for
land attack cruise missiles, in contravention of UN Security
Council resolution 2216 (2015).
This is the first time a British Naval warship has interdicted a
vessel carrying such sophisticated weapons from Iran.
The seizures, which occurred on 28th January and 25th February
2022, took place in the early hours of the morning. HMS
Montrose’s Wildcat
helicopter, equipped with state of the art radar systems, was
scanning for vessels smuggling illicit goods. The helicopter crew
spotted small vessels moving at speed away from the Iranian
coast.
During the February interdiction, United States Navy destroyer
USS Gridley supported efforts by deploying a Seahawk helicopter
to provide critical overwatch during the operation. On both
occasions, the Wildcat helicopter pursued the vessels and
reported back to HMS Montrose that they could see suspicious
cargo on deck.
A team of Royal Marines approached the vessels on two Rigid
Hulled Inflatable Boats before securing and searching the vessel.
Dozens of packages containing advanced weaponry were discovered,
confiscated and brought back to HMS Montrose.
Minister for the Armed Forces said:
The UK is committed to upholding international law, from standing
up to aggression in Europe to interdicting illegal shipments of
weaponry that perpetuates instability in the Middle East. The UK
will continue to work in support of an enduring peace in Yemen
and is committed to international maritime security so that
commercial shipping can transit safely without threat of
disruption.
The seized packages were returned to the UK for technical
analysis which revealed that the shipment contained multiple
rocket engines for the Iranian produced 351 land attack cruise
missile and a batch of 358 surface-to-air missiles.
The 351 is a cruise missile with a range of 1,000km. It is
regularly used by the Houthis to strike targets in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia and was also the type of weapon used to attack Abu
Dhabi on 17th January 2022, which killed three civilians.
On Friday 24 June, the Ministry of Defence hosted the Panel of
Experts established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2140
(2014), which concerns the conflict in Yemen. The panel inspected
the seized weapons and received a technical brief by the UK’s
Defence Intelligence analysts.
Commanding Officer of HMS Montrose, Commander Claire
Thompson, said:
These interdictions demonstrate the professionalism and
commitment of the Royal Navy to promoting stability in this
region. I am extremely proud of my crew – the Royal Navy sailors,
aircrew and Royal Marines involved in these endeavours and the
significant positive impact they are having in maintaining the
international rules-based order at sea.
The UK retains a permanent presence in the Middle East, with HMS
Montrose having been deployed to the region since early 2019,
actively supporting multi-national maritime security operations
and protecting the interests of the United Kingdom and its
allies. The ship operates under the control and direction of the
UK Maritime
Component Command (UKMCC), based in Bahrain.
In the wider Gulf, HMS Montrose regularly works alongside
international partners as part of the 38-nation coalition
Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). CMF is the world’s largest
multinational maritime partnership, which exists to counter
illicit non-state actors. HMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, has
taken part in numerous successful operations to seize illicit
drugs in the Gulf of Oman, most recently in January when £15 million worth of
heroin, methamphetamine, hashish and marijuana were seized.
