US seizes weapons from Iranian boat

Navy in Arabian Sea takes cargo bound for Houthis

DUBAI // The US Navy seized an Iranian weapons shipment in the Arabian Sea, thought to be on its way to Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The USS Sirocco intercepted and seized the cargo of arms hidden aboard a small dhow on Monday last week.

The shipment included 1,500 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 200 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 21 .50- calibre machineguns. The crew of the dhow were released after US sailors confiscated the arms.

Similar weapons seizures in the past have been linked to Iran and their Houthi allies.

A truce brokered by the United Nations in the Yemen conflict is expected to begin on Sunday, followed by talks in Kuwait on April 18.

The fighting between the rebels and the Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally rec- ognised government of president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi has killed more than 6,000 people.

A delegation of Houthi rebels is holding talks in Riyadh, the Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir confirmed yesterday.

“The Houthi delegation is in Saudi Arabia and the discussions are continuing. I believe we have made good progress,” Mr Al Jubeir said.

“Talks with the Houthis are continuing with the aim of finding a political solution for the Yemen crisis,” Mr Al Jubeir said.

The UAE has also been playing a key role in the Arab coalition that has been bombing the rebels for more than a year, in support of Mr Hadi.

Previous negotiations have failed and earlier ceasefires were not respected, but the prospects of a deal have improved.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels have recently exchanged detainees and have agreed through tribal mediation to ease the tension along the two countries’ border.