Ukraine – weapons supplies. The US transfers weapons and ammunition confiscated from Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on Wednesday that “on October 2, 2023, US authorities transferred approximately 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds to the Ukrainian armed forces.”

The weapons transferred from the US to the Ukrainian army were originally intended for Houthi rebels in Yemen and was on the stateless ship MARWAN 1. The sender was the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was a violation of the Security Council resolution UN – announced the US Department of Justice. Therefore, the military equipment was seized on December 9 last year by the naval forces of the United States Central Command.

“The United States is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal weapons in the region through all lawful means, including U.S. and UN sanctions and blockades. Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our armed forces, diplomatic staff and citizens in the region, as well as our partners. We will continue to do everything we can to highlight and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities,” U.S. Central Command added.

As reported by CNN, this is the first tranche of the transferred weapons. Down Ukraine Confiscated weapons are also to be delivered. This is intended to help fill the shortages faced by the Ukrainian army resisting Russian aggression.

Mid January United States were to help French forces seize another 3,000 assault rifles directed from Iran to Yemen, as well as 23 anti-tank guided missiles. The Ministry of Justice also announced in July that it was seeking to confiscate more than 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, 194 rocket launchers, over 70 anti-tank guided missiles and over 700,000 rounds of ammunition seized in Iran by the US Navy.

Jonathan Lord from the American think tank Center for a New American Security, a supporter of giving weapons to Ukrainians, said that “although this is not a solution to all of Ukraine’s military needs, it will provide the necessary support.”

Lord added that the move could also impact Iran’s relations with Russia.

“For over a year, Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles in the hands of the Russian military have been used to attack and murder Ukrainian civilians,” Lord said. – There is poetic justice in Ukraine using seized Iranian weapons to defend its citizens against Russian invasion and abuses. Moreover, this strategy may put greater pressure on the developing relations between Moscow and Tehran, he added.