US transfers weapons seized from Iran to Ukraine
"The munitions were being transferred from the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2216," the statement said.
The seized weapons
WASHINGTON: The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds of munitions seized from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have been transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Central Command said the transfer took place on Monday.
"The government obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20 through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against the IRGC. These munitions were originally seized by CENTCOM naval forces from the transiting stateless dhow MARWAN 1, December 9, 2022.
"The munitions were being transferred from the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2216," the statement said.
The CENTCOM went on to say that Washington is "committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including US and UN sanctions and through interdictions".
It also noted that "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".
In a separate statement issued by the Department of Justice also on Wednesday, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “With this weapons transfer, the Justice Department's forfeiture actions against one authoritarian regime are now directly supporting the Ukrainian people's fight against another authoritarian regime.
"We will continue to use every legal authority at our disposal to support Ukraine in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.”
The development comes as Iran has repeatedly been accused of supplying Russia with arms, most notably drones, for use in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Over the past year, the US Navy has seized thousands of Iranian assault rifles and more than one million rounds of ammunition from vessels used by Iran to ship weapons to Yemen, CNN reported.
The seizures, frequently carried out with regional partner forces, target small stateless vessels on routes historically used to smuggle weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
In mid-January, the US assisted French forces in the seizure of 3,000 assault rifles headed from Iran to Yemen, as well as 23 anti-tank guided missiles.
Following the seizure, the US took custody of the confiscated weapons.