The U.S. military has transferred weapons seized from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Ukraine.
U.S. Central Command announced on Wednesday that earlier this week, the government transferred 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds to Ukraine that the IRGC had intended for the Houthis in Yemen, which would be in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216. CENTCOM naval forces seized the military aid from the transiting stateless dhow Marwan 1 on Dec. 9, 2022.
"The U.S. is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions," CENTCOM said in a statement. "Iran’s support for armed groups threatens international and regional security, our forces, diplomatic personnel, and citizens in the region, as well as those of our partners. We will continue to do whatever we can to shed light on and stop Iran’s destabilizing activities."
The move comes as U.S. officials have stressed to Congress the need for additional funding for Ukraine aid. Congress was able to avert a government shutdown last weekend, but House Republicans stripped funding for Ukraine from the eleventh-hour agreement. While Congress stressed that it would move ahead with a vote on Ukraine aid, hard-line Republicans joined Democrats on Tuesday to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speakership, which threatens to derail or at least delay these votes.