A cache of AK-47s lays on the deck of a ship in an undated file photo shared by U.S. Central Command. The U.S. government transferred the weapons to the Ukrainian armed forces after seizing them from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which intended them to arm the Houthis in Yemen. (U.S. Central Command)
More than 5,000 weapons and half a million rounds of ammunition once bound for Houthi militants in Yemen has been transferred to Ukraine’s armed forces, a statement from U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
The transfer of munitions taken from ships said to be linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps took place Thursday, the statement said.
U.S.-led naval forces seized the weapons and ammunition from four stateless ships sailing the waters of the Middle East from 2021 to 2023, the statement said.
A previous transfer in October provided Ukraine with 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds seized from another vessel said to be used by Iran to arm Houthis in Yemen.
The U.S. government claimed ownership of these munitions through a civil forfeiture claim against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The U.S. has accused Iran of transferring rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and missiles to Houthi rebels in Yemen, despite a United Nations arms embargo.
The Houthis, a Shiite rebel movement backed by Iran, seized Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, in 2014. Since October, the Houthis have launched a flurry of attacks targeting U.S. warships and commercial vessels from numerous countries in the Red Sea, which they’ve linked to Western support of Israel in its war in Gaza.
The weapons and ammunition transferred to Ukraine on Thursday are enough to equip a Ukrainian brigade with AK-47s, machine guns, sniper rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, the statement said.
Ukraine’s military, which has depended on Western support in its war against a larger invading force, has suffered from ammunition shortages in recent months, which have seen Russian gains.
Politicians last week discussed a new $100 billion NATO fund over five years to help bankroll Western support for Ukraine, in a discussion marked by growing uncertainty over whether the United States will continue providing funding.
