Dear Leader sends Ahmadinejad a care package. "‘N Korean arms for Iran’ seized by UAE," by Simon Kerr and Harvey Morris for the Financial Times, August 28 (thanks to all who sent this in):
The United Arab Emirates has seized a ship secretly carrying embargoed North Korean arms to Iran, say diplomats. [...]
The UAE reported the seizure to the UN sanctions committee responsible for vetting the implementation of measures, including an arms embargo, imposed against North Korea under Security Council resolution 1874, according to diplomats in New York. The committee, chaired by Turkey, has made no formal announcement about the case.
A UN diplomat whose country is represented on the sanctions committee said the UAE reported the ship was carrying 10 containers of weapons and related items, including rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition. He said the consignment had been ordered by Iran’s TSS, a company said to be linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and previously subject to international bans on importing weapons-related items.
The vessel, identified by diplomats as the Bahamian-flagged ANL-Australia, has been allowed to leave the UAE after being seized some weeks ago. Diplomats said it was the UAE’s responsibility to dispose of the cargo of weapons found on board. The UN sanctions committee has written to the Iranian and North Korean governments pointing out that the shipment puts them in violation of UN resolution 1874. [...]
The UAE is a hub for goods moving in and out of Iran. Western powers have pressed for greater co-operation from UAE authorities to track shipments and monitor Iranian finances. They have also closed some companies that have been involved in allegedly exporting dual-use materials that could be used for nuclear technology or explosive devices found in Afghanistan and Iraq.
While most focus is on dual-use technology, diplomats said the clampdown on public dissent after Iran’s contested elections had also raised concerns about supplies of arms to state-linked militias.
Odd statement of cause and effect. They certainly should have been concerned about the weapons reaching the Revolutionary Guards and Basijis, as well as Hamas and Hizballah, well before that.
The UAE, a US ally, is also worried about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Indeed. Even the IAEA is coming around on the idea of "military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear program. But will it make anyone move more quickly to halt the program?
there have been other instances where contraband cargo has been intercepted by the UAE..especially around the time they were almost selected as the security agent for US ports...but a lot of ships go unchecked or at least minimally checked...btw a lot of ships also leave from the UAE with Muslim cargoes...are these ships checked?...probably not...some of these ships find their way to GAZA...one could guess at what is contained in these cargo ships...US satellite photos have shown North Korean ships off loading suspicious long packages...(missiles?)...
Top Notch security is lacking in the oft violent regions of the MiddleEast....One can image the types of cargo that slips by the US port authorities where about only 1 in 200 ships is checked...
every once in a while the Muslims throw the world a bone to help ensure the western money continues to flow their way...
This is just like the drug cartel busts.
Give someone up now and then and you are good to go.
This is just like the drug cartel busts.
Give someone up now and then and you are good to go.
This is just like the drug cartel busts.
Give someone up now and then and you are good to go.
I wonder what the UAE plans to do with the booty?
I think it more correct to say "the UAE claims to have intercepted a North Korean ship". I see no evidence the UAE isn't as gung-ho for the global jihad as any Muslim country. It would not surprise me their claims regarding arms interdiction are lies (as Muhammad said, war is deception).