Iranian Smuggler Sentenced to 40 Years for Shipping Missile Parts

Sat Oct 18 2025 22:27:07 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A Pakistani national has received a 40-year prison sentence in the US for smuggling ballistic missile components from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen. This case reflects ongoing tensions and illegal arms proliferation in the region.

Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani national, was sentenced to 40 years in a US prison after being convicted of smuggling Iranian-made ballistic missile parts to Houthi rebels in Yemen. The operation was captured during a US military encounter that resulted in the tragic drowning of two Navy SEALs. Testimonies reveal the crew was unaware of the dangerous cargo, while the evidence underscores the critical issue of arms smuggling in the region. Pahlawan's communications prior to his arrest suggest foreknowledge of the perilous nature of his operation. The case is part of a larger pattern of Iranian support for the Houthis, amid ongoing maritime security risks in the region.

A weapons smuggler who used a fishing boat to ship ballistic missile parts from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen has been sentenced to 40 years in a US prison.

Pakistani national Muhammad Pahlawan was detained during a US military operation in the Arabian Sea in January 2024 - during which two US Navy SEALs drowned.

Pahlawan's crew testified they had been duped into taking part, having believed they were working as fishermen.

The Houthis had launched sustained missile and drone attacks on Israel at the time, and targeted international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they were acting in support of Gazans. Iran has consistently denied arming the Houthis.

The crew's detailed testimonies to a court in the US state of Virginia provide a rare look inside a smuggling operation that helped power the attacks.

The components found on Pahlawan's boat were some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups, US federal prosecutors said after his trial.

The 49-year-old was sentenced on Thursday, having been previously convicted on five counts - including terrorism offences and transporting weapons of mass destruction.

Court documents show the sentences for two of the five counts will run concurrently for 240 months, or 20 years. The other three counts, another 20 years, will run consecutive to that - making a total of 480 months, or 40 years.

The eight crew members who testified in court said they had no idea what was inside the large packages on board the boat, named the Yunus.

One crew member said that when he questioned Pahlawan about it, he was told to mind his own business.

Pahlawan, however, knew just how dangerous the cargo was.

He referred to himself as a walking dead person in text message exchanges with his wife, sent in the days before the January 2024 voyage which would get him arrested.

Just pray that [we] come back safely, said the message, used as evidence in court.

His final words to her before sailing were: Keep me in your prayers. May God take me there safely and bring me back safely, alright. Pray.

For this journey, Pahlawan was paid 1,400 million rials (£25,200; $33,274) - a substantial fee prosecutors at his trial described as danger money.

The trip was part of a larger operation funded and co-ordinated by two Iranian brothers, Yunus and Shahab Mir'kazei, said the then-US Department of Defense (now known as the Department of War) in a statement in June.

Both Shahab and Yunus Mir'kazei have been charged by the American authorities, but are still at large and believed to be in Iran.

Pahlawan made two successful smuggling voyages before he was caught - one in October 2023, and a second two months later.

On 11 January, the crew said they were woken by the sound of helicopter rotors overhead and a US Navy ship pulling alongside. Pahlawan came out of his cabin to tell everyone to keep going and not to stop the boat, telling them the ship and helicopters belonged to pirates.

Once at sea, Pahlawan kept to himself, according to crew testimony, often staying in his cabin and watching movies on his phone. During the encounter, armed US Navy SEALs attempted to board the Yunus, leading to a tragic drowning incident involving two officers.

The trial highlighted Pahlawan's role in an ongoing pattern of arms smuggling from Iran to Yemen, reflecting the complex geopolitical dynamics in the region and raising significant maritime security concerns.