US Transfers Seized Iranian Weapons to Ukraine in Fight Against Russia
NEW YORK — In a bold move last week, the US Central Command announced the transfer of thousands of machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine. This strategic decision comes as Ukraine faces severe shortages of weapons and munitions in its ongoing war against Russia.
The US had been unable to send additional equipment from its own stockpiles due to the lack of funding approved by Congress. However, the recent transfer of materiel is expected to equip one Ukrainian brigade, consisting of approximately 4,000 personnel, with small-arms rifles to bolster their defense against Russia’s invasion, according to CENTCOM.
The seized munitions were originally confiscated by the US military and its partners from multiple stateless vessels between May 22, 2021, and Feb 15, 2023. The US government finalized ownership of the equipment through the Justice Department’s civil forfeiture process in December of last year.
This is not the first time the US has supported Ukraine by transferring seized Iranian military equipment. In a previous instance, over one million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition were provided to the Ukrainian armed forces in October.
Over the past year, the US Navy has conducted numerous operations to seize Iranian assault rifles and ammunition from vessels used by Iran to supply weapons to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. These seizures, often carried out with regional partner forces, target small stateless vessels on known smuggling routes to the Houthis.
For the past year, the Biden administration has been diligently working to legally transfer the seized weapons, currently stored in CENTCOM facilities across the Middle East, to support Ukraine in its defense efforts against Russia. — CNN
