The Islamic Republic has turned to small submarines to deliver weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. European officials made the claim to the Wall Street Journal, which published its report on Saturday, 17 October 2026.
According to these officials, who were not named, after some of the traditional shipping and maritime smuggling routes to Yemen were disrupted, Tehran has delivered part of its arms shipments to the Houthis by small submarine. The report gives no details about the type of submarines, the exact route or the size of the shipments, and the Islamic Republic continues to deny any military involvement in Yemen.
The Islamic Republic's military backing for the Houthis
Military experts say the Houthis' recent tactics, especially in their use of missiles and drones, point to training and technical support from the Islamic Republic. The new claim sits alongside Saudi intelligence assessments saying that IRGC officers select the targets of Houthi attacks. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition had announced a strike on the Houthis' maritime arms-smuggling network in Hodeidah; that pressure may explain why Tehran has turned to more covert methods.
In recent weeks the Houthis have carried out extensive missile and drone attacks on Riyadh airport and on the Maashiq Palace in Aden. The Islamic Republic's foreign ministry spokesman had earlier denied Tehran's role in the attacks and offered to mediate.
Risk to the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab
Intelligence reports say the Houthis are trying to build up a capability that threatens shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a passage whose importance for the global oil trade has grown as the Strait of Hormuz has become unsafe. A UN panel of experts also reported in 2024 that the Houthis had set up joint operations rooms with groups aligned with the Islamic Republic in Lebanon and Iraq.
According to European officials, after the usual routes were closed, the Islamic Republic has sent weapons to the Houthis by small submarine.
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