The United States has sent almost 1.1 million bullets to war-ravaged Ukraine that were seized in Iran since last year. The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which controls the operations in the Middle East, said those ammunitions were frozen in December. Ukraine’s Western friends have said they have been facing challenges to overcome the ammo demands in Kyiv’s fight against the Kremlin. CENTCOM said the bullets were transferred from Iran to Ukraine on Monday. This latest step from the United States might be fresh air for Ukraine after the US Congress has cut massive aid to Kyiv and the House of Representatives made a deal to avoid their government shutdown.
US CENTCOM added the ammunition shipped to Ukraine was 7.62mm caliber, which is to be used in light machine guns and Soviet-era rifles. This ammunition was seized in Iran by the US Navy from a private ship named MARWAN 1 on December 9, 2022, and officially gained ownership of those bullets in July this year and has now sent it to Ukraine in a fight against Russia. The US got the right by Civil forfeiture, according to which an asset could be frozen if the owner is believed to be involved in criminal activities.
This Was An Alternate Way To Support Ukraine
The US made a claim against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, a branch of Iran’s armed forces responsible for protecting the country’s government. The US Central Command stated that they would continue working for the allies to stop Iran from sending its leather aids to the region. Iran supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen’s ongoing civil war; however, according to the United Nations’ 2015 act, arms supply to Houthi rebels is banned.
There has been a continuous ongoing war in Yemen since 2014, when Houthis forcefully took control of the capital, Sanaa, and removed that time’s government. The ousted government in Sanaa is still an internationally recognized authority in Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the UK support it. Last year, Iran was also accused of supplying lethal weapons and drones to the Kremlin to be used against Ukraine.
Source: Web
Biden administration has sent the ammunition from Iran as now they are seeking alternative ways to assist Kyiv. Officials have warned for weeks that money allocated for Ukraine had nearly been consumed, but there has been pressure from Republicans who wanted to prevent further supplies of funds. On Tuesday, some members opposing funds delivery voted to unseat Speaker McCarthy, which will further delay the passing of new funds until a new speaker of the House is elected. McCarthy was blamed for making a secret deal with the White House to make ways to assist Ukraine.
Western Countries Running Low On Arms Stocks
Adm Rob Bauer, chair of NATO’s Military Committee, talked at the Warsaw Security Forum during the talks about ammunition supplies from Western countries. He said the bottom of the stocks was visible, and not much inventory was left to support Ukraine in the long run. He added that after years of investment, NATO arms supplies had been half or even emptier. Rob Bauer said they had built a more robust economy, which was beneficial for many things, but not the armed forces when there was an ongoing war. Rob Bauer further said there was a strong need for governments and arms industries to boost up and increase the manufacturing pace.
A tremendous amount of artillery has been exhausted in Ukraine to fight against a gigantic enemy, the Kremlin. Only the United States has supplied more than 200 million bullets and grenades to Kyiv’s army since the start of the war in February last year. The defense minister of the United Kingdom emphasized to the NATO allies to spend nearly 2 percent of their economy on defense. All the members agreed to that proposal, but only 11 of 31 countries are expected to meet that target. US President Biden has repeatedly pledged to support Ukraine no matter how long it takes, but now White has been facing challenges in fulfilling its promise as there is strong opposition in Congress that resists supplying more funds to Ukraine.
