Two men linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard are facing terrorism charges in the U.S. in connection with the interception of a vessel in the Arabian Sea earlier this year, resulting in the deaths of two Navy SEALs. The federal prosecutors in Richmond, Virginia, announced a new indictment on Thursday, charging two Iranian brothers and a Pakistani boat captain with providing material support to Iran’s weapons-of-mass-destruction program.
The Iranian brothers, Shahab Mir’kazei and Yunus Mir’kazei, are currently at large, while the Pakistani boat captain, Muhammad Pahlawan, along with three crew members, has been in custody since the Navy SEAL team intercepted their small vessel, described as a dhow, in January. During the interception, Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers fell overboard due to high waves, and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped in to try to save him. Unfortunately, both Chambers and Ingram were declared dead after an 11-day search.
The search of the dhow revealed Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components. U.S. officials believe the dhow was part of an operation to supply weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have increased attacks on merchant and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden following the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Houthis were designated as a terrorist group by the State Department in February, while the Revolutionary Guard Corps has held this designation since 2019.
The new indictment provides further details connecting the dhow to Iran, alleging that the Mir’kazei brothers paid Pahlawan 1.7 billion rials (approximately $40,000) to conduct smuggling operations from Iran to the Somali coast near Yemen. Arrest warrants for the brothers were issued on Wednesday, while the federal public defender's office appointed to represent Pahlawan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The two Iranians, who are not in custody, do not have listed attorneys.
