The
US will transfer thousands of seized
Iranian weapons and rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, in a move
that could help to alleviate some of the critical shortages facing the
Ukrainian military as it awaits
more money and equipment from the US and its allies, US
officials said.
US Central Command has already transferred over one million rounds
of seized Iranian ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces, it announced on
Wednesday. The transfer was conducted on Monday, CENTCOM said in a press
release.
“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 statement says.
The 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
propellant for rocket-propelled grenades that the Navy seized from Iran as it
was in transit to Yemen.
“These
munitions were originally seized by U.S. Central Command naval forces from the
transiting stateless dhow MARWAN 1, Dec. 9, 2022. The munitions were being
transferred from the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the United
Nations Security Council Resolution 2216,” the statement says.
The Biden administration has for months been weighing how to
legally send the seized weapons, which are stored in CENTCOM facilities across
the Middle East, to the Ukrainians.
Over
the past year, the US Navy has seized thousands of Iranian assault rifles and
more than one million rounds of ammunition from vessels used by Iran to ship
weapons to Yemen. The seizures, frequently carried out with regional partner
forces, target small stateless vessels on routes historically used to smuggle
weapons to the Houthis in Yemen.
In mid-January, the US assisted French forces in the seizure of
3,000 assault rifles headed from Iran to Yemen, as well as 23 anti-tank guided
missiles. Following the seizure, the US took custody of the confiscated
weapons.
That illegal weapons interdiction capped a two month period in
which the US and its partners seized a total of 5,000 weapons and 1.6 million
rounds of ammunition, according to Central Command.
Justice Department and defense officials have been working
together to find a legal pathway to send the weapons to Ukraine, officials
said, and one way is through the US’ civil forfeiture authorities.
The Justice Department has filed at least two forfeiture
complaints against seized Iranian ammunition and weapons this year. Apart from
the announcement in March, DOJ announced in July that that it was seeking the
forfeiture of “over 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, approximately 194 rocket
launchers, over 70 anti-tank guided missiles, and over 700,000 rounds of
ammunition” seized from Iran by the US Navy.
“At
the end of the day, Ukraine needs various supplies for the war effort, and
while this isn’t a solution to all of Ukraine’s military needs, it will provide
critical support,” said Jonathan Lord, a senior fellow and director of the
Middle East security program at the Center for a New American Security who
pushed the US to send the seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine in an op-ed in
February.
Lord added that the move could also have implications for Iran’s
relationship with Russia.
“For over a year, Iranian UAVs in the hands of the Russian
military have been used to attack and murder Ukrainian civilians,” Lord said.
“There is poetic justice in Ukraine utilizing seized Iranian weapons to defend
its people against Russia’s criminal invasion and abuses. Additionally, this
policy may put greater pressure on the burgeoning relationship between Moscow
and Tehran.”
The decision could drive a wedge between Iran and Russia, which
have formed a de facto defense partnership over the last several months, with
Iran supplying Russia with drones for its war in Ukraine and Russia cooperating
with Iran on missile and air defense production.