Iranian Weapons Seized by U.S. Now Empowering Ukraine's Defense

The Ukrainian military recently received a significant shipment of weapons, originally from a country that backs Russia in the ongoing conflict. The United States Central Command disclosed its action of delivering over 5,000 rifles, grenade launchers, and more than half a million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, all of which were seized from Iran.

This remarkable handover occurred last week, involving military hardware intercepted in 2023, which was en route to Yemen's Houthi militia, an ally of Iran.

According to a statement by the Central Command on the X platform, the arsenal encompassed 5,000 AK-47 rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, and RPG-7 grenade launchers, along with over 500,000 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber ammunition.

The statement asserted that "this equipment is sufficient to fully arm a Ukrainian brigade. It’s a significant boost for Ukraine in its defense against the Russian offensive."

The arms, initially intended for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, were seized by the US Navy and its allies across four maritime interdictions. These incidents, targeting shipments from Iran to Yemen’s Houthi insurgents, occurred between May and February 2023.

The seizures were enacted for breaches of UN Security Council resolutions, making the US the legitimate owner of the weapons as of December 1, following legal action against the Iranian forces.

This transfer marks at least the second instance of Iranian weapons being redirected to Ukraine. Previously, in October, the Pentagon supplied Ukraine with over 1.1 million rounds of 7.62 mm caliber ammunition, seized under similar circumstances.

Source: PAP