Yemen on Wednesday demanded the return of the 15 Scud missiles intercepted by the Spanish navy and being withheld by the United States.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Baker Abdullah al-Kurbi summoned US Ambassador Edmund Hull to his office to protest the interception and demand the immediate return of the captured missiles, local media reported.
Acting on tips from US intelligence, two vessels of the Spanish navy on Monday stopped a cargo ship loaded with 15 Scud missiles onthe high seas off the coast of Yemen.
US naval forces in the Indian Ocean have taken over the ship along with the missiles, Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo said Wednesday.
Yemen claims the seized weaponry its property ordered from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The seized shipment is considered violation of a deal between Yemen and the United States not to buy such a kind of DPRK-made equipment, according to US defense officials.