Smuggler jailed for 40 years after shipping ballistic missile parts from Iran

October 17, 2025

Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani national, has been sentenced to 40 years in a US prison for smuggling ballistic missile parts from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen. Pahlawan was arrested during a US military operation in January 2024 in which two Navy SEALs drowned while attempting to board his fishing boat. The sophisticated weapons components found on his vessel were linked to a smuggling operation allegedly coordinated by two Iranian brothers affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps.

Who is affected

Houthi rebels in Yemen who were receiving the weapons
Commercial shipping companies and vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden
Muhammad Pahlawan and his family (wife and child)
The crew members from Pakistan who were duped into participating
The families of the two US Navy SEALs who drowned during the operation
International trade relying on Red Sea shipping routes

What action is being taken

US authorities are prosecuting participants in the weapons smuggling network
US military forces are intercepting suspected weapons shipments in the Arabian Sea
Commercial shipping companies are rerouting vessels around South Africa rather than through the Red Sea
Houthis continue to occasionally launch attacks to deter shipping companies from returning to Red Sea routes

Why it matters

The smuggled components included "some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups," enabling Houthi attacks on Israel and commercial shipping
The disruption to Red Sea shipping routes adds approximately 10-12 days and $1 million in extra costs per round trip for commercial vessels
Shipping through the Red Sea has dropped by 60-70% since the initial attacks in October 2023 and remains at that level
The case provides rare insight into weapons smuggling operations that have facilitated Houthi attacks, despite Iran's consistent denial of arming the group
Between 2015 and 2023, US forces seized nearly 2.4 million pieces of ammunition, 365 anti-tank guided missiles, and over 29,000 small arms from small boats in the Arabian Sea

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC