The 10-day search to rescue two Navy SEALs lost in the Arabian Sea during a mission to board a ship and confiscate Iranian-made weapons has ended and the sailors are now considered deceased.

In a statement on Sunday, US Central Command said the search had been changed to a recovery effort.

The names of the SEALs have not been released as family notifications continue.

Ships and aircraft from the US, Japan and Spain continuously searched more than 54,000 square kilometres, the military said.

“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honour their sacrifice and example,” General Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, said.

Tweet from @CENTCOM

According to officials, the January 11 raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Officials have said that as the team was boarding the ship, one of the SEALs went under in the heavy seas, and a teammate went in to try to save him.

The commandos had launched from the USS Lewis B Puller, a mobile sea base. They were backed by drones and helicopters.

They boarded small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat.

In the raid, they seized an array of Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components such as propulsion and guidance devices and warheads, as well as air defence parts, Central Command said.

It marked the latest seizure by the US Navy and its allies of weapon shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks threatening global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The US Navy ultimately sunk the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said.

The ship’s 14 crew were detained.

-AAP