Plymouth warship HMS Montrose seized Iranian missiles

The shipments contained multiple rocket engines and a batch of surface-to-air missiles, said the MoD

Royal Marines from a navy ship have seized missiles and other weaponry which was being smuggled out of Iran.

Plymouth-based HMS Montrose spotted the weapons being carried in speedboats from Iran.

A helicopter from the ship tracked the high speed vessels and the marines intercepted them, seizing the cargo.

This is the first time a navy warship has intercepted a vessel carrying such sophisticated weapons from Iran, said the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

HMS Montrose's Wildcat helicopter crew spotted small vessels moving at speed away from the Iranian coast

Two seizures occurred on 28 January and 25 February in international waters south of Iran, said the MoD.

HMS Montrose's Wildcat helicopter crew spotted small vessels moving at speed away from the Iranian coast.

The crew pursued the vessels and reported back to HMS Montrose that they could see a suspicious cargo on deck.

A team of Royal Marines searched the vessels and found "dozens of packages containing advanced weaponry".

The shipments contained multiple rocket engines for the Iranian-produced 351 land attack cruise missile used in attacks on Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi and a batch of 358 surface-to-air missiles, said the MoD.

Commanding Officer of HMS Montrose, Cdr Claire Thompson, said she was "extremely proud of my crew - the Royal Navy sailors, aircrew and Royal Marines involved in these endeavours and the significant positive impact they are having in maintaining the international rules-based order at sea".