Biden's Iran Policy Has Now Killed Two U.S. Navy SEALs

U.S. Central Command announced Sunday evening that two U.S. Navy SEALs who went missing during a January 11 "night-time seizure of a dhow conducting illegal transport of advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply Houthi forces in Yemen" have not been located after a 10-day search, and that their status has officially been changed to deceased.

CENTCOM Status Update on Missing U.S. Navy SEALs
We regret to announce that after a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing U.S. Navy SEALs have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased. The search and rescue operation for the two Navy SEALs reported missing during the boarding of an illicit dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons Jan. 11 concluded and we are now conducting recovery operations.
During this expansive search operation, airborne and naval platforms from the U.S., Japan, and Spain continuously searched more than 21,000 square miles to locate our missing teammates. Search assistance was also provided by Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San Diego – Scripts Institute of Oceanography, and the Office of Naval Research – Oceanographic Support. Out of respect for the families, no further information will be released at this time.
“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example. Our prayers are with the SEALs’ families, friends, the U.S. Navy, and the entire Special Operations community during this time,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander.

As Streiff reported back on January 16, the SEALs were operating from the expeditionary mobile base USS Lewis B. Puller along the Somali coast when they participated in what CENTCOM is calling a "flag verification."

While supported by helicopters and drones, the SEALs used a small boat, probably the 11-meter Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boat, to board the dhow. During the operation, one SEAL slipped from the boarding ladder in moderate-to-high seas (eight-foot wave height). Another SEAL went to assist him, and both disappeared.

CENTCOM posted photos of some of the weapons seized from that dhow and indicated that "this is the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Houthis since the beginning of Houthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023."

USCENTCOM Seizes Iranian Advanced Conventional Weapons Bound for Houthis

On 11 January 2024, while conducting a flag verification, U.S. CENTCOM Navy forces conducted a night-time seizure of a dhow conducting illegal transport of advanced lethal aid from Iran to resupply Houthi… pic.twitter.com/yg4PuTZBh7
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 16, 2024

The seized items "include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components." According to CENTCOM's initial analysis, these are the same weapons that have been employed by the Houthis in their attacks on international merchant ships in the RedSea.

At the time, USCENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla said:

“It is clear that Iran continues shipment of advanced lethal aid to the Houthis. This is yet another example of how Iran actively sows instability throughout the region in direct violation of U.N Security Resolution 2216 and International law. We will continue to work with regional and international partners to expose and interdict these efforts, and ultimately to reestablish freedom of navigation."

The day after CENTCOM posted details about the weapons seizure, the White House re-designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization... sort of.

President Trump placed the Houthis on the US list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) on January 11, 2021, and Biden removed them from that list. Biden is now declaring the group Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), a designation that allows Houthis to still get U.S. visas, and operate without fear of U.S. banks seizing their assets. That designation also allows U.S. citizens to support the organization without fear of prosecution. Jake Sullivan went to great lengths to emphasize that this designation will have generous carve-outs so the people of Yemen won't feel targeted, only the Houthis. Problem is that the Houthis control most of Yemen and are using their attacks on merchant ships as a recruiting tool, so they're even more popular these days.

The Biden administration's approach to the Houthis is just as nonsensical and harmful to American interests as their approach to Iran and Gaza. You can't allow carve-outs for "humanitarian" aid to an area controlled by brutal and corrupt dictators who use religious fanaticism to maintain their control over their equally brutal subjects. That just leads to the well-connected enjoying the fruits of humanitarian aid and the rest of the population suffering from starvation and disease - and it gives the terrorist nations the opportunity to build up an arsenal that will be used to kill Americans, like these two U.S. Navy SEALs. Rest in peace, gentlemen.