US gives Ukraine 1.1 million rounds of ammunition seized from Iran
The US has dispatched more than one million rounds of ammunition, which it confiscated from an Iranian vessel in December last year, to Ukraine.
Officials at the Pentagon said the transfer occurred earlier this week, on Monday.
These 7.62mm ammunition rounds, designed for Soviet-era Kalashnikov assault rifles and their variants, are commonly used by the Ukrainian military.
It iUS gives Ukraine 1.1 million rounds of ammunition seized from Iran
The US has dispatched more than one million rounds of ammunition, which it confiscated from an Iranian vessel in December last year, to Ukraine.
Source: https://currencyrate.today/converter-widgetOfficials at the Pentagon said the transfer occurred earlier this week, on Monday.
These 7.62mm ammunition rounds, designed for Soviet-era Kalashnikov assault rifles and their variants, are commonly used by the Ukrainian military.
It is understood that these rounds were stored at US military facilities in the Middle East.
This move aims to address the escalating ammunition shortage that Ukraine faces as it continues its counteroffensive against Russia.
As per a statement from the US military’s Central Command in Tampa, Florida, these rounds were seized by the US Navy in December while intercepting a vessel in the Persian Gulf.s understood that these rounds were stored at US military facilities in the Middle East.
This move aims to address the escalating ammunition shortage that Ukraine faces as it continues its counteroffensive against Russia.
As per a statement from the US military’s Central Command in Tampa, Florida, these rounds were seized by the US Navy in December while intercepting a vessel in the Persian Gulf.
The statement read” “These munitions were originally seized by US Central Command naval forces from the transiting stateless dhow Marwan 1 on 9 December 2022. The munitions were being transferred from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [Iranian military] to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216.”
This transfer raises legal questions because United Nations (UN) regulations typically require nations to destroy or store confiscated weapons.
However, US officials assert that civil forfeiture tools provide them with the legal authority to carry out these transfers.
A spokesperson from the Defence Department said the action was “a product of the US government’s coordinated effort to enforce US sanctions against the Iranian regime.”
The spokesperson added: “Iran’s transfer of lethal aid to militant groups in Yemen violates United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2216 and fuels regional instability.
“US support, in contrast, is provided in accordance with international law and to a recognised government defending its sovereign territory.”
The expeditionary mobile base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller (Alamy)
A US Justice Department document, published in March of this year, details how the USS Lewis B. Puller, a US Navy ship, intercepted a vessel named the Marwan 1 in the Persian Gulf in December 2022.
“The Iranian Navy loaded it with ammunition and explosives, prior to placing oranges, apples, and soft drinks on top of the cargo of munitions as concealment,” the document explains.
This week, a high-ranking Nato official issued a dire warning regarding the shortage of weapons and ammunition available to Ukraine.
Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, chair of the Nato Military Committee, addressed the Warsaw Security Forum, stating: “The bottom of the barrel is now visible.”
In Washington, ongoing funding for Ukraine is uncertain due to political turmoil on Capitol Hill.
The latest stopgap spending bill passed over the weekend did not include funding for Ukraine.
The uncertainty deepened this week with the removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a proponent of Ukraine funding.
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