A Pakistani national, Muhammad Pahlawan, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after being convicted on multiple charges related to the transportation of Iranian-made advanced conventional weapons. The sentencing took place on October 16, following a federal jury conviction in June.
Court records show that on January 11, 2024, U.S. Central Command Navy forces boarded an unflagged dhow off the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea. The boarding party included Navy SEALs and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team East. They encountered 14 mariners on board, including Pahlawan.
During their search, U.S. forces seized Iranian-made weaponry such as ballistic missile components, anti-ship cruise missile components, and a warhead. These weapons were similar to those used by Houthi rebel forces during attacks against merchant and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden after October 7, 2023.
Evidence presented at trial indicated that Pahlawan lied to authorities during the interdiction, told other crew members to lie as well, and threatened his crew and their families. Two Navy SEALs — Christopher Chambers and Nathan Gage Ingram — died during the operation.
According to prosecutors, Pahlawan’s activities were part of a broader smuggling operation from August 2023 through January 2024 involving two Iranian brothers affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The operation involved transporting materials from Iran for delivery to groups such as the Houthis in Yemen via ship-to-ship transfers near Somalia.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg; U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia; FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Donald M. Holstead; and FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director Darren B. Cox announced the sentencing after it was handed down by U.S. District Judge David J. Novak.
“Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Joseph N. Kaster of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case,” according to officials involved in the proceedings. “Former Eastern District of Virginia prosecutor Danya Atiyeh supported the case.”
