Iran secretly sent Revolutionary Guard commanders, gold bars to Houthis on passenger flight, sources say

Iran covertly transferred Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders and missile and drone equipment to Yemen's Houthi rebels, sources have revealed.

Citing Iranian sources, Reuters and other international outlets reported Thursday that Iran used a Mahan Air passenger flight from Tehran to Yemen on July 13 to deliver Revolutionary Guard personnel and military equipment to the Houthis. The sources said between 10 and 21 Revolutionary Guard operatives were on board, including senior commanders.

"The Revolutionary Guard commanders were dispatched to support Houthi operations and provide training on new missile systems," a source who requested anonymity for security reasons said. "Iran also sent gold bars to fund Houthi activities."

Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said at a press conference Monday that the July 13 flight was intended "to repatriate a Houthi delegation that had attended the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Yemeni civilians who had received medical treatment in Iran."

Abdel Rahman al-Anomi, a Houthi media official who claimed to have been on the flight, rebuffed the allegations of Iranian military experts being sent as "a complete fabrication and a lie."

The Houthis have long denied being an Iranian proxy force, maintaining that they develop their own weapons.

Yemeni Information Minister Muammar al-Iryani said intelligence had confirmed the transfer of Revolutionary Guard personnel and equipment. "Their mission is to bolster the rebels' military capabilities and prepare to threaten international maritime security in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait," he said.

Mujahim al-Sallum, a security and intelligence analyst who tracks Iran-backed armed groups, also confirmed that Revolutionary Guard specialists entered Yemen on the July 13 flight. He assessed that some of the cargo consisted of short- and medium-range missiles and drone components similar to weapons systems previously used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The Houthis said Wednesday they attacked two Saudi oil tankers, the Enselia and the Layla, with missiles and drones. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sare'e wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that the strikes were in response to violations of a blockade the group had declared.

The attacks marked the first disruption to oil shipments on the Red Sea route since the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.

Oil prices reacted immediately. Brent crude climbed 7 percent to $100.74 a barrel Thursday morning, crossing the $100 threshold for the first time since May. The commodity has risen about 40 percent this month.

The Houthi warning and the attacks prompted several vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to reverse course.

About 5 percent of the world's oil passes through the strait before continuing north through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean. Ships bound for India and China that take an alternative route face an additional 10 to 15 days at sea.

On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, Iran has also blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The strait normally carries about 20 percent of the world's oil supply. Since the war reignited, Iran and its proxy forces have attacked 13 commercial vessels.

US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that if the Houthis continue their attacks in the Red Sea, the United States will hold Iran accountable.