Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Oman has become the latest waystation for Iranian
weapons to Yemen.

Arab diplomatic sources said Iran was believed to be using Oman to
funnel weapons for the Shi’ite rebel movement in Yemen. They said the
massive Iranian flow was also believed to be destined to Shi’ites in
neighboring Saudi Arabia.

“Oman has generally not stopped Iranian activities and so was being used to smuggle weapons to Teheran’s proxies in Yemen and probably Saudi Arabia,” a diplomat said.

On July 10, Oman reported the seizure of more than 30,000 pistols aboard a tanker destined for Yemen. The Royal Oman Police said it arrested nine people in port of Sohar in connection with the attempted smuggling.

“We recovered 30,393 pistols hidden inside eight containers after the ship docked at the port in Sohar,” Oman police Col. Abdullah Bin Saleh Al Ghailani said. “The seized cargo was meant to be sent to another country.”

The sources said Oman determined that the weapons were shipped from Turkey, deemed to be a leading supplier to Shi’ite rebels in Yemen. They said the Sanaa regime has repeatedly urged Ankara, a leading member of NATO, to halt the shipments to the so-called Believing Youth movement, supported
by Iran.

Oman became the latest country to be involved in the Iranian arms
smuggling route to Yemen. In 2011, the United Arab Emirates foiled a plot to
smuggle 16,000 firearms from Turkey to the rebel Shi’ite movement in Yemen.

“It is reasonable to say that Oman was tipped off to the Turkish weapons
shipment, probably by the United States,” another diplomat said.

  Believing Youth, Col. Abdullah Bin Saleh Al Ghailani, Diplomat: Iran funneling weapons to Shi’ite rebels in Yemen, Saudia Arabia via Oman, Sohar port