A weapons smuggler who used a fishing boat to ship ballistic missile parts from Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen has been sentenced to 40 years in a US prison.
Pakistani national Muhammad Pahlawan was detained during a US military operation in the Arabian Sea in January 2024 - during which two US Navy Seals drowned.
Pahlawan's crew testified they had been duped into taking part, having believed they were working as fishermen.
The Houthis had launched sustained missile and drone attacks on Israel at the time, and targeted international commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they were acting in support of Gazans. Iran has consistently denied arming the Houthis.
The crew's detailed testimonies to a court in the US state of Virginia provide a rare look inside a smuggling operation that helped power the attacks.
The components found on Pahlawan's boat were 'some of the most sophisticated weapon systems that Iran proliferates to other terrorist groups', US federal prosecutors said after his trial.
The 49-year-old was sentenced on Thursday, having been previously convicted on five counts - including terrorism offenses and transporting weapons of mass destruction.
Court documents show the sentences for two of the five counts will run concurrently for 240 months, or 20 years. The other three counts, another 20 years, will run consecutive to that - making a total of 480 months, or 40 years.
The eight crew members who testified in court said they had no idea what was inside the large packages on board the boat, named the Yunus.
One crew member said that when he questioned Pahlawan about it, he was told to mind his own business.
Pahlawan, however, knew just how dangerous the cargo was.
He referred to himself as a 'walking dead person' in text message exchanges with his wife, sent in the days before the January 2024 voyage which would get him arrested.
'Just pray that [we] come back safely,' said the message, used as evidence in court.
'Why do you talk like this, 'may or may not come back',' she asked him.
Pahlawan told her: 'Such is the nature of the job, my dear, such is the nature of the job.'
His final words to her before sailing were: 'Keep me in your prayers. May God take me there safely and bring me back safely, alright. Pray.'
This lengthy detour adds about 10 to 12 days of sailing time to each trip, and extra fuel, which previous analysis has estimated to cost companies about an extra $1 million (£748,735) per round trip.
But the court ruled that his high sentence was 'appropriate due to the nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant.'
