The US plans to send more than one million seized Iranian guns and rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, which could help tackle some of the severe shortages faced by the Ukrainian military while it waits for additional money and equipment from the US and its allies, as reported by CNN.
Earlier in March, the US Justice Department said it was looking to return one million rounds of Iranian ammunition, thousands of proximity fuses, and thousands of pounds of rocket propellants that the Navy seized from Iran while it was in transit to Yemen.
US Transfers Seized Ammunition to Ukraine
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday that it has already given over one million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition to Ukrainian soldiers. According to a CENTCOM statement, the transfer took place on Monday (2 October).
The statement said, “The government obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20, 2023, through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).”
“These munitions were originally seized by US Central Command naval forces from the transiting stateless dhow MARWAN 1, Dec. 9, 2022. The munitions were being transferred from the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216,” the statement read.
The U.S. announces it has just sent Ukraine more than 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds and thousands of automatic rifles seized from ships sent by Iran to its Houthi proxies in Yemen.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 5, 2023
The weapons were sent to Ukraine earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/SVqF3ZlKNk
“Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel, and citizens in the region, as well as those of our partners,” the statement asserted.
The CENTCOM reiterated that the US is committed to cooperating with its allies and partners to impede the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the area by all legal methods, including sanctions and interdictions imposed by the US and the UN. “We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities,” the statement concluded.
For months, US President Joe Biden’s administration has been debating how to legally transfer seized weapons from CENTCOM locations around the Middle East to Ukrainian authorities.
US Seizes Iranian Weapons
In mid-January, the US helped French troops seize 3,000 assault rifles headed for Yemen from Iran and 23 anti-tank guided missiles. Following the seizure, the confiscated firearms were turned over to the US.
The US Navy seized hundreds of Iranian assault rifles and over one million rounds of ammunition from vessels used by Iran for shipping weapons to Yemen over the last year.
The seizures, routinely carried out with regional partner forces, target small stateless vessels on formerly used routes for smuggling weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
Apart from the March announcement, the DOJ said in July that it was looking into the forfeiture of “over 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, approximately 194 rocket launchers, over 70 anti-tank guided missiles, and over 700,000 rounds of ammunition” seized by the US Navy from Iran.
Reports suggest that Iran sending the ammunition to Yemen was a violation of a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution that prohibits provision of weaponry to the Houthis.
Biden Defends Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia
Recently, Biden stated that the US and its partners and allies worldwide will continue to support the “brave people of Ukraine” in safeguarding their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Biden’s statements came up during the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) 78th session, which was held in New York. “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? The answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow,” he remarked.