Aden -- Regional security officials and maritime watchdogs have revealed new details about Iran’s plans to bolster Houthi militias in Yemen by smuggling advanced weapons through a clandestine sea corridor linking Port Sudan to Yemeni shores. 

According to recent intelligence assessments, the shipments include ballistic missile components, drones, anti-tank guided missiles, and thousands of assault rifles, all intended to strengthen the Houthis’ military capabilities.

Between 2015 and 2024, international naval forces intercepted at least 20 Iranian-linked vessels carrying illicit arms bound for Yemen. 

These seizures highlight a consistent pattern of maritime trafficking coordinated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, which reportedly oversees the logistics of these operations. 

Yemeni resistance forces have also disclosed that multiple smuggling routes converge in the Red Sea, with Port Sudan emerging as a critical hub for transshipment.

The Houthis have already used Iranian-supplied weapons to launch more than 100 attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, and Yemen, alongside dozens of assaults on maritime vessels. 

Expanding their arsenal through Sudanese waters could enable the group to intensify attacks on international shipping lanes, threatening both regional economies and global supply chains.

Diplomatic sources stress that the arms pipeline from Port Sudan to Yemen represents not only a violation of UN Security Council resolutions but also a direct challenge to international maritime law. 

The United States, European partners, and regional navies have stepped up patrols in the Red Sea, but officials acknowledge that the sheer scale and adaptability of smuggling operations make enforcement difficult.

Calls are growing for coordinated international action to block the Sudan-Yemen corridor, with emphasis on intelligence sharing, naval interdictions, and diplomatic pressure on Khartoum to prevent its ports from becoming staging grounds for illicit arms transfers.