Royal Marines from a Navy ship have taken missiles and other weapons that were being smuggled out to Iran by taking them into their possession.
HMS Montrose, a Plymouth-based ship, spotted the weapons in speedboats coming from Iran.
The ship was followed by a helicopter that tracked high-speed vessels. The marines intercepted them and took the cargo.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), this is the first time that a navy warship intercepts a vessel carrying sophisticated weapons from Iran.
According to the MoD, two seizures were made in international waters south Iran on 28 January and 25 Feb.
The Wildcat helicopter crew of HMS Montrose spotted small vessels speeding away from the Iranian coast.
Crew members pursued the vessels, and reported to HMS Montrose that there was a suspicious cargo decked.
Royal Marines searched the vessels for advanced weaponry and discovered "dozens" of packages.
According to the MoD, the shipments contained several rocket engines for an Iranian-produced 351 land-attack cruise missile. It was used in attacks against Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Also included were a number of 358 surface–to-air missiles.
Cdr Claire Thompson, Commanding Officer of HMS Montrose said that she was proud of her crew, which included Royal Navy sailors, aircrew, and Royal Marines, and of the positive effect they have on maintaining international rules-based order of the sea.
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