Washington: Two Iranian brothers accused of involvement in arms smuggling to Houthis that led to the death of American soldiers

Two men linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard are currently facing terrorism charges in the United States in connection with the interception of a ship in the Arabian Sea that killed two U.S. Navy personnel earlier this year.

According to the American newspaper "Navy Times", the new indictment announced on Thursday by federal prosecutors in Richmond, Virginia, included charges against two Iranian brothers, "Shahab Mirkazi and Younes Mirkazi," as well as a Pakistani boat captain, "Mohammad Pahlavan," with providing material support to Iran's weapons of mass destruction program, among other charges.

The brothers remain at large. Bahlawan and three of his crew have been detained since an elite naval force intercepted their small vessel, described as a dhow, in January.

US officials said Navy SEAL First Class Christopher J. Chambers fell overboard while boarding the sailboat, as high waves created a gap between the two vessels.

As Chambers fell, Navy Special Warfare Officer 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped in to try to save him, according to U.S. officials familiar with what happened.

Chambers and Ingram were pronounced dead after an 11-day search failed to find either of them.

A search of the dhow found a variety of Iranian-made weapons, including cruise missile and ballistic missile components, court documents said.

U.S. officials say the dhow was part of an effort to supply weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, and that the Houthis have stepped up attacks on U.S. commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.

According to the indictment, the US State Department has designated the Houthis as a terrorist group since February. The State Department has also designated the Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group since 2019.

The new indictment includes additional details linking the dhow to Iran. It alleges that the brothers, who work for the Revolutionary Guard, paid Bahlawan 1.7 billion rials — about $40,000 — to carry out multiple smuggling operations from Iran to the Somali coast near Yemen.

The federal public defender’s office, which was appointed to represent Pahlavan, declined to comment Thursday. No lawyers have been registered for the Iranians, who are not in custody. Arrest warrants were issued for the brothers on Wednesday.