The Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen continue to use Iranian components in drones, according to a new report.“External support remains a key factor in the Houthis’ ability to sustain operations,” notes Conflict Armament Research (CAR), which compiled the report.
This is important as it illustrates how the Houthis continue to assemble advanced weapons. Any future conflict with them will need to take this into account. The Houthis became a notable terror group in 2015, moving from the mountains of Yemen and trying to take the port city of Aden.
Saudi Arabia led several Arab countries to intervene to back the Yemen government against the Houthis. The Houthis began launching drones and ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia.
While there has been a kind of ceasefire in Yemen over the last few years, the Houthis remain a major threat. They continue to build up power. They have attacked Israel in the past and also attacked ships in the Red Sea. CAR has done important work over the last decade documenting the Houthis’ weapons and where the Houthis get their military technology.
Over the past decade, Conflict Armament Research (CAR) has actively tracked the evolution of technical capabilities available to Houthi forces. CAR field investigators have worked with partner authorities in Yemen and the wider Gulf region since 2016 to document weapons, ammunition, uncrewed systems, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) developed or acquired by the Houthis.
A range of advanced missiles, drones, and underwater weapons
The Houthis have been subject to a targeted United Nations Security Council arms embargo since April 2015,” CAR notes.
The new report documents some weapons that have been found. For instance, “the missiles CAR analyzed had Iranian – not Houthi – designations (e.g., ‘358’, a term used by Iran, rather than the Houthi name ‘Saqr’). This evidence shows that the Houthis are still reliant on external supply sources and suggests that they face limitations in domestic industrial capacity with advanced missiles and drones.”
The report goes on to note that “the missiles do need to be assembled before use, however, indicating that the Houthis have a degree of domestic technical and material expertise.
Additionally, CAR's analysis found electronic components that were produced in the last two years, indicating that the procurement networks acquiring this material are robust and persistent, and that Houthis are being supplied with newly developed systems.”
The report also notes that the recent CAR investigation “into shipments of lethal aid intended for the Houthis in Yemen has uncovered a range of advanced missiles, drones, and underwater weapons, some of which were previously not observed in the group’s stockpiles.
Through the first public analysis of component labeling practices, Conflict Armament Research (CAR) sheds light on the Iran-linked supply networks sending weapons to the Houthis.”
CAR was able to inspect components recovered from a June 2025 seizure of weapons components. These “link to at least a dozen weapon systems, including ten missile types. Anti-ship, surface-to-air, and ballistic missiles are among these weapons, demonstrating that the Houthis now possess a range of advanced offensive capabilities. Investigators recorded components linked to Iranian-origin missiles not previously observed by CAR in Houthi possession.”
The components come in various forms. The parts for the missiles “came in parts with labelled codes indicating which components belonged to what missile system. Crucially, the missile names are all Iranian rather than the terms used by the Houthis. These labels follow standardized patterns and likely constitute instructions to guide the Houthis in assembling advanced weapons.”
What happens next is that the components arrive in Yemen and have to be assembled. This indicates that “the Houthis have a degree of domestic technical and material expertise.
Additionally, CAR’s analysis found electronic components that were produced in the last two years, indicating that the procurement networks acquiring this material are robust and persistent, and that Houthis are being supplied with newly developed systems.”
Some of the components that were found have similarities to previous finds. The report notes that “CAR field investigators documented more than 800 missile and UAV components in the June 2025 Al Sherwa seizure. These were branded with the marks of companies headquartered in at least 16 countries and territories: Austria, China, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States.”
However, just because the companies have links to these countries doesn’t necessarily tell us where the components were produced or designed. “CAR has established through formal tracing that some components used in documented weapon systems are counterfeit. CAR is conducting tracing operations for these components to confirm their provenance and identify their onward transfer supply chains.”
The findings are interesting. One note in the report says “only 5% of the documented missile and UAV components in the seizure can be linked to Iranian production. Iran’s high dependency on non-domestic technology affirms a trend long evidenced by CAR’s global component investigations.”
This is important. It illustrates how the Houthis continue to stockpile weapons and also likely tells us a lot about how Iran is stockpiling weapons as well.
Despite sanctions, the Iranians get their hands on components.
The components can even make it through a blockade to the Houthis.