Ukraine will receive thousands of seized Iranian weapons and rounds of ammunition from the United States.
According to US officials, the move is intended to assist in alleviating some of the serious shortages that the Ukrainian military is experiencing as it waits for more money and weapons from the US and its allies.
The US Central Command said on Wednesday that it has already given over one million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition to Ukrainian soldiers. The transfer took place on Monday.
“The government obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20, 2023, through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)”, the press release reads.
The US Justice Department announced in March that it was seeking the forfeiture of one million rounds of Iranian ammunition, thousands of proximity fuses for rocket-propelled grenades, and thousands of pounds of rocket-propelled grenade propellant that the Navy seized from Iran while it was on its way to Yemen.
“These munitions were originally seized by US Central Command naval forces from the transiting stateless dhow MARWAN 1 on December 9, 2022”, the department stated.
“The IRGC was transferring armaments to the Houthis in Yemen in contravention of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216”, the department continued.
For months, the Biden administration has been debating how to legally transfer Seized weapons from CENTCOM locations across the Middle East to Ukrainian authorities.
US President Joe Biden has stated that the United States, together with its allies and partners around the world, will continue to support the brave people of Ukraine in the defence of their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Biden’s statements came during the United Nations General Assembly’s 78th session, which was held in New York.
US president stated, “Russia believes that the world will grow weary and allow it to brutalize Ukraine without consequence. But I ask you this: If we abandon the core principles of the UN Charter to appease an aggressor, can any member state feel confident that they are protected?”
In a strong message to Russia, Biden asked world leaders at the UN General Assembly, “If we allow Ukraine to be carved up, is the independence of any nation secure? The answer is no. We must stand up to this naked aggression today to deter other would-be aggressors tomorrow”.
“That is why the United States together with our Allies and partners around the world will continue to stand with the brave people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and their freedom”, Biden continued.
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