The US has supplied Ukraine with more than a million rounds of Iranian ammunition seized in the Gulf.
A US Navy ship confiscated the roughly 1.1 million bullets in December from a vessel that was being used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to arm Houthi rebels in Yemen’s civil war in violation of a UN arms embargo. The 7.62mm rounds have now been given to Kyiv, the US military said.
The US government gained ownership of the bullets in July through a process known as civil forfeiture, by which an asset can be seized if its owner is thought to be involved in criminal activity.
“With this weapons transfer, the Justice Department’s forfeiture actions against one authoritarian regime are now directly supporting the Ukrainian people’s fight against another authoritarian regime. We will continue to use every legal authority at our disposal to support Ukraine in their fight for freedom, democracy, and the rule of law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
It comes after Nato recently warned that the production lines of Ukraine’s Western allies were struggling to keep up with the rate at which the country was using its ammunition.
The Biden administration is also looking for alternative ways to aid Ukraine amid opposition from some in Congress.
Officials have warned the money currently allocated for Kyiv has been nearly exhausted, but pressure from the Republican right has so far prevented the House of Representatives from approving additional funds.
It led to the ousting of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and it remains unclear whether the future leader will be able to generate enough support from the Republican party hardliners, who have opposed sending more money to Ukraine. $44 billion in military aid has already been sent since the start of the invasion.
Russian forces will face Iranian ammunition being used against them after using Iranian-made drones to attack Ukraine.
