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The Department of Justice has announced that a Pakistani national has been convicted for his role in an Iranian-led weapons smuggling operation that is linked to the deaths of two US Navy SEALs.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the Houthis are a US-designated terrorist organization with Iranian backing based in Yemen that emerged from the Zaidi Shia minority. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Houthis have launched attacks on commercial vessels and naval ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming to target vessels linked to Israel or supporting the war in Gaza. While initially broad in scope, their attacks on commercial shipping decreased after the Trump administration authorized and conducted a wave of US and coalition airstrikes on Houthi positions, significantly degrading their operational capacity. The Houthis receive their weapons, missile components, drones, and other shit primarily from Iran, which uses a network of intermediaries and smugglers to move arms by sea to Yemen via the Horn of Africa. These shipments are often conducted using unflagged dhows that transport the cargo to small boats for ship-to-ship transfers off the coasts of Somalia or Oman. The US Navy, often in coordination with allied forces, regularly intercepts these vessels, seizing smuggled weapons and arresting crews. Iran publicly denies arming the Houthis despite mounting evidence from UN investigations and forensic analysis of seized weaponry linking the arms directly to Iranian manufacturers.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Muhammad Pahlawan, a 49-year-old Pakistani national, was found guilty by a US federal jury for his role in an Iranian-backed smuggling operation that sought to transfer advanced missile components to Houthi militants in Yemen. Pahlawan was in charge of an unflagged dhow intercepted back in 2024 by the US Navy. Onboard, officials discovered a cache of Iranian-made weaponry, including ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead identical to those the Houthis have used in attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Court documents indicated that the weapons were being smuggled from Iran to Somalia for ship-to-ship transfer to Houthi commanders in Yemen.
According to prosecutors, two Navy SEALs—Chief Petty Officer Christopher Chambers and Petty Officer 1st Class Nathan Gage Ingram—were killed during the interdiction of Pahlawan’s vessel. As SEALs attempted to board the unflagged dhow in rough seas under cover of night, Chambers lost his grip on the boarding ladder or was knocked off by a wave. Ingram immediately jumped into the water in a rescue attempt, but both men were dragged under by their equipment and did not resurface. Despite extensive search efforts, their bodies were never recovered.
Prosecutors alleged that Pahlawan directly contributed to their deaths by instructing his crew not to comply with US forces, to destroy the vessel if necessary, and to lie about its mission and cargo. Court records revealed that he threatened the lives of his crew and their families to prevent cooperation with authorities, showing a deliberate effort to obstruct justice.
Ultimately, Pahlawan was convicted of six federal offenses, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), providing material support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction program, and transporting explosive devices intended for use by Houthi militants. He was also found guilty of threatening his crew and witnesses to obstruct the investigation. Each of these charges carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison.
Pahlawan is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22.
