Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 25: A US federal court has sentenced Muhammad Pahlawan, a Pakistani national, to 40 years in prison for his role in transporting Iranian-made advanced conventional weapons and providing material support to Iran’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programme and terrorist organisations, the US Justice Department announced on Thursday.
The announcement was made jointly by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg, US Attorney Lindsey Halligan (Eastern District of Virginia), and senior FBI officials Donald M. Holstead and Darren B. Cox, following sentencing by US District Judge David J. Novak.
A federal jury had convicted Pahlawan on June 5 of multiple charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, aiding Iran’s WMD programme, and transporting explosives intended for use by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
According to court records, on January 11, 2024, US Navy forces operating from the USS Lewis B. Puller—including Navy SEALs and US Coast Guard personnel—intercepted an unflagged dhow in the Arabian Sea off Somalia’s coast. The vessel, carrying 14 mariners including Pahlawan, was found loaded with Iranian-manufactured ballistic missile and anti-ship cruise missile components, as well as a warhead.
The seized weapons matched those used by Houthi forces in attacks against merchant and US naval vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden following the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel, the Justice Department said.
During the boarding, Pahlawan lied to US personnel, instructed others to conceal information, and even threatened the lives of his crewmates and their families. The operation turned tragic when two Navy SEALs — Christopher Chambers and Nathan Gage Ingram — lost their lives during the mission.
Further investigations revealed that between August 2023 and January 2024, Pahlawan collaborated with two Iranian nationals, Shahab and Yunus Mir’kazei, who were linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Together, they orchestrated a weapons smuggling network moving armaments from Iran to Yemen for the Houthi rebels and other regional proxies.
US officials described the sentencing as a major victory against transnational terrorism and weapons trafficking, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to dismantling Iran-backed smuggling networks threatening maritime and global security.