A ship carrying Iranian missile components in the Arabian Sea heading to the Houthis, according to the US Army (Associated Press)

The Washington Post reported - today, Saturday - that the administration of President Joe Biden is seeking to "identify the sea routes used by Iran to transfer weapons to the Houthi group" in Yemen.

But this mission faces obstacles and challenges, according to officials who spoke to the American newspaper.

The American efforts come as the Houthi group continues to target Israeli, British, and American ships in the Red Sea, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been subjected to Israeli aggression since October 7, 2023.

American officials revealed that the Biden administration is seeking to determine the sea routes that Tehran uses to transport weapons to Yemen, and they explained that the United States is looking for how partner countries can disrupt Iranian weapons smuggling operations to Yemen.

According to these officials, the US President's administration is intensifying efforts to monitor and intercept Iranian weapons smuggled into Yemen.

Withstand the blows

Officials acknowledged that the Houthi group had proven its ability to withstand 6 weeks of military strikes.

A senior military official said the new mission is "trying to better understand what those waterways look like."

He added that the work requires great cooperation with the American intelligence community.

Another American official pointed out that his country is exploring how partner countries can expand their focus on disrupting Iranian weapons smuggling to the Houthis.

The Houthi group announced that several American and Israeli ships were hit in the Red Sea.

In many cases, the United States succeeded in thwarting these attacks.

But on March 6, an anti-ship missile fired by the Houthis hit an American commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, killing at least 3 sailors.

Last month, a Houthi missile attack on the US-owned cargo ship MV Rubymar caused the ship to sink.

American officials admitted that the Houthis shot down two MQ-9 Reaper drones off the coast of Yemen, one of which they shot down in November, and the other last February.

Obstacles and challenges

But America's efforts to prevent Iranian weapons from reaching the Houthis face several obstacles and challenges, as this mission requires many unmanned aerial vehicles, means and monitoring devices, in addition to providing highly trained personnel to carry out the risky mission of boarding ships suspected of carrying weapons. Iranian to Yemen.

Mundy, who oversaw Marine Corps forces in the Middle East from 2018 to 2021, said that on such missions "we often don't know exactly what the threat is."

As for the former Commander of Central Command, General Kenneth Frank, he commented that this mission primarily requires surveillance resources, and added, "We need to work with our coalition partners in order to do this."

Although the Pentagon is intensifying its efforts to intercept these weapons, it is not expected that large American forces will be involved in this mission.

On January 11, two US Marines went missing at sea while trying to board a suspected smuggling ship off the coast of Somalia.

Last February, a group of Iranian-made weapons, including missile components, were seized.

In this operation, 14 people were detained.

The US Department of Justice announced that four of them face charges of transporting warheads.

Later, American forces intercepted a ship in the Arabian Sea and confiscated ballistic missile components, explosives, and other weapons parts.

According to the Americans, this shipment came from Iran.

According to retired General Carl Sam Mundy, these missions are among the most dangerous and “unpredictable” military operations.

Source: American press