US Transfers Alleged Iranian Ammunition Shipment to Ukraine

The US says it seized the ammunition on its way to the Houthis in Yemen, but Iran denies that it arms the Houthis

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it had transferred a shipment of ammunition typically used in rifles to Ukraine that it claims was seized from Iran last year.

“On October 2, 2023, the US government transferred approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds to the Ukrainian armed forces,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a press release.

The command said the ammunition was seized on December 9 off a vessel bound for Yemen. The US said the shipment was from Iran and was intended to arm Yemen’s Houthis. For their part, Iran denies that it arms the Houthis, and the Houthis also deny that they receive smuggled Iranian weapons.

CENTCOM said the ammunition became available through civil forfeiture claims made by the US Justice Department (DOJ) against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

According to CNN, the DOJ is also seeking the forfeiture of more than 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, about 194 rocket launchers, more than 70 anti-tank guided missiles, and more than 700,000 rounds of ammunition that the US Navy allegedly seized from Iran.

The US is looking to unload the weapons into Ukraine as NATO’s stockpiles are dwindling. According to a British military official, the UK has run out of weapons that it can send to Ukraine. The US is also running low on ammunition to fuel the proxy war, which the Biden administration used as an excuse to send civilian-killing cluster bombs into the conflict.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.