Iran may have inadvertently donated thousands of assault rifles and thousands of tons of ammunition to Ukraine’s war effort after the US Navy seized the weapons from suspected smuggling ships in the Middle East.
The US military is considering sending the weapons to Ukraine after they were seized in the Gulf of Oman. Weapons include 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, a handful of anti-tank missiles and over 7,000 proximity fuses, according to the Wall Street Journal. The potential new source of military aid comes as Ukraine’s western allies sound the alarm over ammunition spending.
“The war in Ukraine is devouring an enormous amount of ammunition and depleting the Allies’ stocks,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. “Ukraine’s current rate of ammunition spending is many times higher than our current production rate. This is putting pressure on our defense industry.”
The US and allied navies have seized the weapons in a series of operations in the Gulf of Oman, disrupting Iranian efforts to smuggle arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
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The US Navy has confiscated thousands of assault rifles from Iranian smugglers, the weapons could now go to Ukraine.
The US could send 5,000 seized assault rifles and 1.6 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine after seizing them in the Middle East.
The US Navy seized 2,000 assault rifles in early January when it boarded a suspected smuggling ship. At the end of January, French special forces confiscated another 3,000 assault rifles in a joint operation.
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The US Navy routinely patrols joint smuggling routes in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian ships smuggling arms into Yemen must head east through the Gulf before heading south into Yemen.
International law and the UN Security Council prohibit the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Ukraine has requested more and more aid as Russia renews its ground offensive. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will hit the one-year mark next week. The US has shipped tens of billions of dollars worth of military equipment and other supplies during the 12 months of fighting.
An Iranian smuggling ship was previously stopped by the US Navy.
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President Biden’s administration has promised to continue sending aid to Ukraine “as long as it lasts”.