US officials on Thursday (November 29th) displayed military equipment they say confirms that Iran is increasingly supplying weapons to militants across the Middle East and is continuing its missile programme unabated, AFP reported.
At a military hangar in Washington, Brian Hook, the US special representative for Iran, displayed a collection of guns, rockets and other gear.
Some had been intercepted in the Strait of Hormuz en route to militias in the region, while others had been seized by the Saudis in Yemen, the Pentagon said.
The centerpiece of the display was what Hook said is a Sayyad-2 surface-to-air missile system that the Saudis had intercepted in Yemen this year.
Farsi writing along the rocket's side helped prove it was Iranian made, he said.
"The conspicuous Farsi markings is Iran's way of saying they do not mind being caught violating UN resolutions," Hook said, adding the missile had been destined for the Houthis (Ansarallah).
"The Iranians wanted to deliver this to the Houthis, who would have used it to target coalition aircraft up to 46 miles away," he said.
Hook also displayed anti-tank guided missiles that the US says Iran had provided to the Taliban in Afghanistan. They were recovered in Kandahar by the Afghan army, he said.
"Iran has been providing material support to the Taliban since at least 2007," Hook said.
