Iran's foreign ministry denied allegations by US Central Command (CENTCOM) which said its forces seized an advanced Iranian-made weapons shipment near Yemen, en-route to the Tehran-backed Houthi militant group.

Esmail Baghaei called the allegations "false and baseless." He emphasized that "Iran has no military presence in Yemen, and the weapons in the country have no connection to the Islamic Republic."

A confidential report seen by Reuters in September said that Yemen’s Houthis had grown into a powerful military organization with external support from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah, and Iraqi specialists.

Last Thursday, CENTCOM said its forces intercepted the shipment on January 28 in the Arabian Sea.

The cargo included over 200 packages containing medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater and surface vehicle parts, military-grade communication equipment, and anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies.

Since the Gaza war began, following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have launched around 320 UAVs toward Israel, with over 100 intercepted by the Israeli Air Force.

The group, which controls roughly one-third of Yemen, has aligned itself with Hamas in an effort to pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza, imposing a blockade in the Red Sea region, significantly disrupting global shipping routes.

In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Yemen's Houthis are advancing Iran's regional agenda and will face continued military action for their attacks on Israel. “The Houthis are an extension of Iran, and they serve the terrorist goals of the Iranian axis in the Middle East."