U.S. Transfers Weapons Seized From Iran to Ukraine
The U.S. Central Command has announced the transfer of Iranian weapons seized from four unmarked ships in the Arabian Sea between May 2021 and February 2023. The ships were bound to the areas of Yemen controlled by the Houthis, which Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has a long history of supporting.
The Houthis are subject to a UN arms embargo established by the UN Security Council, dating back to 2015, which provides legal grounds for seizing weapons intended for the group.
According to CENTCOM, the transfer will include over 5,000 AK-pattern rifles, sniper rifles and RPG-7s as well as over 500,000 rounds of 7.62mm caliber ammunition.
This isn’t the first time that Ukraine has received weapons originally intended for the Houthis. In October of last year, CENTCOM transferred approximately 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammo seized from IRGC ships in late 2022. Any time such a seizure is made, a lengthy investigation needs to occur before any transfer of the weapons can be approved, hence the long time between the seizure and actual transfer.
Notably, this transfer likely holds greater diplomatic impact than military significance. Half a million rounds is a relatively low number given Ukraine’s demand, and if the aforementioned 7.62mm caliber is 7.62x39mm this differs from the standard 5.45x39mm used by Ukraine’s AK-74 rifles, which makes it unclear if Ukraine will be able to use the received ammunition effectively with anything but older AKs and the Chinese Type 56 AKs provided in the transfer.
On the flipside, this move can be seen as the U.S. signaling its interest in supporting Ukraine, even as the direly needed aid package for it has reached a deadlock in Congress. Moreover, it represents a major embarrassment for Iran, as its weapons will now be used against one of its most important allies, Russia.