A United States court has sentenced a Pakistani national, Muhammad Pahlawan, to 40 years in prison for smuggling Iranian-made ballistic missile components and warheads to Yemen’s Houthis rebels.
Pahlawan, 49, was arrested during a US Navy operation in the Arabian Sea in January 2024, during which two Navy SEALs, Christopher Chambers and Nathan Gage Ingram, drowned while attempting to board his fishing vessel, Yunus.
According to court documents, Pahlawan was convicted on five counts, including terrorism and transporting weapons of mass destruction, at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Prosecutors said the smuggling operation was part of a broader network funded and coordinated by two Iranian nationals, Yunus and Shahab Mir’kazei, who are allegedly linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Investigators said the seized cargo included anti-ship cruise missile components, ballistic missile parts, and a warhead, described by prosecutors as “some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups.” The smuggling missions, which began in October 2023, involved transferring shipments from Iran’s Chabahar port to small vessels near the Somali coast before delivery to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
Court testimonies from Pahlawan’s eight crew members revealed they were unaware of the nature of their cargo, believing they were undertaking regular fishing trips. They said Pahlawan threatened them to remain silent after the US Navy intercepted their boat.
In text messages to his wife before the ill-fated voyage, Pahlawan hinted at the danger of his mission, referring to himself as a “walking dead person.” He was paid around 1.4 billion Iranian rials ($33,000) for the trip, which US prosecutors described as “danger money.”
The court rejected his lawyer’s plea for leniency, citing the “seriousness of the offences” and the “defendant’s full knowledge” of his actions. His attorney said Pahlawan had expressed deep concern for his wife and child in Pakistan, who have faced hardship since his arrest.
US authorities said the case underscores Iran’s continued efforts to arm proxy groups in violation of United Nations sanctions. It also highlights the growing security risks in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, where arms smuggling networks have fueled regional instability and disrupted global shipping routes.