Iran flew IRGC commanders, missile gear to Yemen's Houthis, sources say
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- Iran flew between 10 and 21 IRGC commanders, military advisers, and missile/drone components to Yemen on a Mahan Air flight from Tehran on July 13, according to four sources including two Iranian insiders and Yemen's information minister.
- The Mahan Air flight was originally bound for Sanaa but diverted to Hodeidah after Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces bombed the airport; one source said the aircraft also carried gold to fund Houthi operations.
- Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei claimed the flight was returning a Houthi delegation who had attended the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though four sources said it also carried IRGC personnel and military cargo.
- Yemen's information minister Moammar al-Iryani confirmed the transfers and said the IRGC's mission was to 'strengthen the militias' military capabilities and prepare them to threaten international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.'
- Three days after the flight arrived, the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and attacked two Saudi oil tankers, ending a four-year Riyadh-Houthi truce.
- Tehran had asked the Houthis to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the US struck Iranian power infrastructure, Reuters reported.
Why it matters: The deployment of IRGC commanders and missile components signals a direct Iranian effort to upgrade Houthi capabilities against Red Sea shipping, with the Houthis announcing a Saudi blockade and tanker attacks three days after the flight arrived. Yemen's information minister confirmed the transfers are aimed at threatening 'international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.'
