U.S. Sends 1.1 Million Rounds Of Seized Iranian Munitions To Ukraine

 U.S. officials transferred over a million seized and forfeited Iranian rounds of ammunition to Ukrainian armed forces on Monday as the Pentagon warned funding to support Kyiv in its ongoing war with Russia is running low.

“The U.S. 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 U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) officials said in a news release.

The transfer included approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds obtained over the summer by the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Naval forces with CENTCOM originally seized the munitions, which could reportedly be fired from AK-47 rifles, last year when Iranian armed forces were transferring the rounds to the Houthis in Yemen. U.S. officials accused the group of violating a United Nations Security Council resolution that imposed sanctions on rebel groups undermining the stability of Yemen.

The Biden administration reportedly has been weighing legal options to send the seized weapons to Ukrainian forces, according to CNN.

The outlet noted that the U.S. Navy seized thousands of Iranian rifles and more than one million rounds of ammunition from fishing vessels used to transfer weapons to Yemen. Last January, approximately 3,000 rifles and 23 anti-tank guided missiles were confiscated by U.S. forces.

Naval forces have reportedly confiscated weapons, including various missiles, drones, explosives, and rocket fuel, from dhows and speedboats smuggling Iranian arms in recent years.

The move comes after congressional leaders withheld additional aid to Kyiv in the stopgap spending measure passed over the weekend to avert a government shutdown.

 

The Pentagon told House and Senate leaders in a letter of concern last week that funding to support Ukraine’s critical and urgent defense needs to prepare for Russia’s winter offensive continues to decline.

Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord told House and Senate leaders in the letter that approximately $1.6 billion remains left out of the $25.9 billion in weapons funding for Ukrainian forces. Additionally, McCord said the U.S. has about $5.4 billion left to supply weapons and equipment from its stockpiles.

“We have already been forced to slow down the replenishment of our own forces to hedge against an uncertain funding future,” McCord said in the letter. “Failure to replenish our military services on a timely basis could harm our military’s readiness.”

On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh reportedly confirmed that the financial support would soon run out if Congress does not authorize additional funding.

“We have enough funding authorities to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs for just a little bit longer, but we need Congress to act to ensure there is no disruption in our support,” Singh said.

Since the full-scale war erupted in February 2022, the U.S. has sent Ukraine more than $44 billion in security assistance to meet the nation’s critical security and defense needs.

President Joe Biden asked Congress last month to approve an additional $24 billion package to Ukraine for military aid and economic, humanitarian, and security assistance for other countries impacted by the war.