The United States government transferred to the Ukrainian military on Monday approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds seized from Iran, the US Central Command announced on Wednesday.
The cartridges were confiscated by U.S. Central Command naval forces from a stateless dhow, Marwan 1, in December 2022. The US military asserted that the ammunition was being transferred by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Houthi militants in Yemen.
US has been seizing Iranian arms in Yemen for years
The US said that the transfer was in violation of the 2015 UN Security Council resolution 2216 that leveled an arms embargo against Yemeni rebel groups.
The US government obtained ownership of the munitions in July through the Justice Department’s civil forfeiture claims against the IRGC.
US naval forces for years have been seizing weapons believed to be from Iran bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, usually transported by fishing vessels.
“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. We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities.”
Multiple flagless dhows and speedboats smuggling Iranian arms have been stopped by US naval forces in recent years. These weapons have included surface-to-air missiles, anti-tank missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, drones, fertilizer used in production of explosives and rocket fuel, and various small arms.
The ammunition is unlikely to make a major difference on the battlefield at a time when long-range weapons and air defense systems are on top of Ukraine’s wish list.
The seized ammunition being transferred are also unlikely to ease concerns about the continued flow of western weapons to Kyiv.
Transfer comes amid gap in direct aid from US
Congress included no new money for Ukraine in the stopgap US spending bill it passed on Saturday to keep the federal government open, highlighting the increasing reluctance of some Republicans to provide funds for Kyiv.
Last year, Britain’s Royal Navy said one of its warships had seized Iranian weapons, including surface-to-air-missiles and engines for cruise missiles, from smugglers in international waters south of Iran.
Yemen’s Houthi movement has battled a Saudi-led coalition since 2015 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and left 80% of the population dependent on aid.
The United States has put pressure on its ally Saudi Arabia to end the war and linked some U.S. military support to the kingdom to ending its involvement in Yemen.
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