A US court has sentenced a Pakistani citizen, Muhammad Pahlawan, to 40 years in prison for smuggling Iranian-made ballistic missile parts and other weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
According to the BBC, Pahlawan, 49, was convicted by a Virginia court after being found guilty of transporting arms from Iran to Yemen using fishing vessels. The court ruled against him on June 5, 2025, after a months-long trial.
Pahlawan was arrested by the US Navy in January 2024 during a special operation in the Arabian Sea. Two American sailors drowned during the mission and were later declared dead after their bodies could not be recovered.
Investigations revealed that Pahlawan had earlier made two successful smuggling trips from Iran’s Chabahar port in October and December 2023. For these missions, he reportedly recruited 12 Pakistani men who had gone to Iran seeking employment.
According to the US military, the seized shipment was the first consignment of Iranian weapons intercepted since Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea several months earlier.
One of the crew members told investigators that on January 11, they were awakened by the noise of helicopters and ships. Pahlawan, mistaking them for pirates, ordered the crew not to stop the vessel. The US Navy and Coast Guard personnel faced strong resistance while attempting to board the ship.
During the confrontation, two heavily equipped American sailors fell into the sea and drowned.
Crew members later testified in court that they were unaware of any arms smuggling and believed they were hired as fishermen.
They said that before departing in December 2023, they were asked to load large sealed packages onto the boat, which were later transferred to another vessel off the coast of Somalia.
US authorities confirmed that the seized packages contained components for ballistic and anti-ship cruise missiles, along with a warhead.
On June 5, the Virginia court found Pahlawan guilty of providing financial and material support to terrorists.
His defence lawyer pleaded for leniency, arguing that the conviction had left his wife and children in severe distress.
The lawyer said Pahlawan remained deeply worried about his family and often broke down in tears.
However, the court rejected the appeal, stating that the severity of the crime justified the sentence.
