Direct proof of use
The TOW-family evidence in Yemen is centered on Iran's Toophan, a reverse-engineered BGM-71 TOW variant. A U.S. Defense Department report on an Iranian materiel display said a Toophan anti-tank guided missile had been obtained by Saudi Arabia on the battlefield and that Houthis in Yemen used the weapon to target infrastructure and vehicles.
CSIS separately describes the Yemen TOW-family record under the heading "BGM-71 TOW ATGM (Iranian variant: Toophan)." Its report notes the U.S. sale of BGM-71 rockets and launchers to North Yemen before the war, Iran's development of Toophan after acquiring TOW missiles, and the 2015 interdiction of Toophan/TOW anti-tank guided missiles and related equipment.
Sources: DoD Shows Iranian Weapons as Proof of Tehran's Duplicitous Ambitions, The Missile War in Yemen
Timeline
On 25 September 2015, a dhow seizure off Oman produced the earliest detailed public transfer record used here. The UN Panel of Experts reported that it was investigating a potential transfer of anti-tank guided missiles to Houthi-Saleh forces, after inspecting missiles and associated equipment in U.S. custody and finding Iranian origin indicators and similarity to weapons then appearing in Houthi possession.
CSIS later summarized the same interdiction as including 54 Toophan/TOW anti-tank guided missiles, 19 9M113 Konkurs missiles, and related equipment. In 2018, U.S. officials displayed a Toophan anti-tank guided missile seized by Saudi Arabia and described it as a battlefield item used by Houthis in Yemen.
Sources: Final Report of the Panel of Experts on Yemen, The Missile War in Yemen, DoD Shows Iranian Weapons as Proof of Tehran's Duplicitous Ambitions
Narrative
In the Yemen conflict, the BGM-71 TOW entry represents a family relationship rather than confirmed use of newly supplied U.S.-marked BGM-71 rounds. The directly documented system is Toophan, the Iranian TOW variant, which open sources place in Houthi-aligned service and in maritime interdiction records during the war.
The weapon's documented role was anti-armor direct fire against vehicles and fixed targets. Oryx's Houthi missile and drone handbook lists Toophan among Houthi anti-tank guided missiles with a 2018 appearance date, while the Defense Department and CSIS sources connect the battlefield and transfer record to Houthi-aligned forces in Yemen.
Sources: DoD Shows Iranian Weapons as Proof of Tehran's Duplicitous Ambitions, The Missile War in Yemen, Houthi Drone And Missile Handbook
